


Second Chances

by EmpressMcBride, Kat92



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: AU, F/M, Non ZA
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-04
Updated: 2015-08-07
Packaged: 2018-03-21 06:03:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 33,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3680700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmpressMcBride/pseuds/EmpressMcBride, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kat92/pseuds/Kat92
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world with no walkers, Carol moves into a new apartment with her daughter Sophia and her newly adopted son Sam. Here they are firstly met by the mysterious stranger Daryl, who helps them move all their things.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> I am so excited about this. Me and EmpressMcbride (tumblr) have been plotting this together and just plotting it was fun. Writing it is just as fun, so I do hope you all enjoy this! :)

 

The truck rumbled and shook beneath her as they drove along the narrow streets and turns. It was an old truck, she assumed it was why it had been the cheapest. Because of her budget Carol had been forced to pick the cheapest of all the moving companies. With this one she only paid for having the truck driven from a to b, which also meant that the guy who drove it was a very lazy man, who didn’t care how hard she and the kids struggled to move everything, he wasn’t going to give them a hand. Not when he wasn’t paid to do so.

 

So Sam, Sophia and herself had had to carry down all their furniture from the second floor, on their own. Including their beds and their couch. A neighbor had come out to help, the third time Sophia dropped the couch. Thanks to him they had gotten all the bigger furniture down and into the truck, without any of her kids destroying their backs by it.

 

The drive took only 15 short minutes, they weren’t moving that far. They just needed a new and bigger place, mostly to get Sam away from what had to be mostly bad memories for him. But to her kids, Carol explained it with the fact that she thought they needed a bedroom each. Sophia was 13 going on 30 and would need a bit more privacy than she had had in the past months, having to share a room with Sam.  
The slightly bigger room and the fact that she didn’t have to share it, was the only thing that excited Sophia about the move. The apartment was in a slightly worse neighborhood and a bit further from their school. But Carol was determined to make it their home and fix it up as much as she could with the money she had. It was what she did as a mother; she did everything for her kids, not caring much for herself. They came first, in everything. It didn’t matter to her that Sam wasn’t her own son, he was in her care now and she loved him as much as any mother should, even if he had only lived with her and Sophia for 6 months or so, not counting all the times that she had babysat him in the 3 years before that.

 

The Georgia heat was not being kind to them, when they arrived at their new apartment building. Sophia and Sam were already beyond exhausted and Carol had no idea how they were ever going to get all their things inside. Their new apartment was only on the 1st floor, but still. There were a lot of boxes and things, not to mention the bigger furniture. Carol didn’t want to have to make Sophia help her with all of them, but she might not have a choice. And the longer they kept the truck busy, the more it would cost her. The driver of course went straight off to lunch, when he had opened up the truck. Which was when he lost whatever tip he might have earned by staying.

 

“Come on.. We just need to get everything inside, we can do everything else tomorrow.. okay?” She spoke softly to the kids as they dragged their feet around to the back of the truck.  
It was one of the nicer buildings in the street, but that didn’t say much, since most of the buildings looked to be a thing of the past, some of them near their expiration date. At least this one didn’t look like it was going to fall apart any minute. Carol did know a bit about architecture, loving books meant that she did know a little bit about everything. But this building was pretty old, which meant it was sturdy, but it had been renovated sometime in the seventies, she guessed from the paint and the new doors and windows. That meant that the plumbing and the wiring would be considerably better than many of the other worn down houses on this street. No one could say she hadn’t done her research.

 

What she didn’t know anything about yet, was the people that lived there. The landlord had, of course, said that they were all very nice people and no one gave him any trouble. Well, he had to say that, didn’t he, to sell the apartment. Only time would tell if he was right, but in this kind of neighborhood, Carol doubted that all of them were ‘squeaky clean’. Not that she was picky about that, but she would rather know than be lied to.

 

Grabbing a box from the back and handing them down to the kids, Carol then grabbed one herself and lead the way into the building. Unlocking their new door seemed slightly ceremonial, “This is it kids” She smiled at them as the door swung open and she stepped inside.

 

It smelled dusty and it was hot enough to fry an egg on the floor. Guess they found out what summers would be like in the new place. After putting down the boxes Carol asked them to help open the windows so they could get some air in. It was easier said than done, since the windows were old, but they got them there eventually. The slight breeze that was outside wasn’t really any cooler than the air inside, but at least it meant that there was a movement of the air, which made it seem cooler. “Let’s put up the fans, first thing, once we find them in the truck.” Both Sophia and Sam nodded, but she could see in the faces that they weren’t excited about the truckload of stuff waiting for them. Neither was she, but it had to be done.

 

Once they made it back outside, Carol spotted the car that was parked behind the truck, beside the sidewalk, and the man who was currently working under the hood of the car. He had probably been there before as well, but she just hadn’t seen him.  
Without really allowing them to, her eyes slid across his bare forearms, which had a slight shine of sweat that just enhanced the muscles that she was sure they held, his strong back, and sinfully well-shaped backside.

 

When she caught herself staring at him, she quickly looked away, back to the workload that awaited them.

 

_*I need to get laid*_

 

If she could stare at a stranger like that, she had to need it badly. But where was she supposed to find time for that, between working and raising two kids? Not to mention that her past didn’t exactly make her an ideal woman. Dating was too time-consuming and she’d had enough disappointment in men to want to try that again. So she forced herself to focus and keep her eyes of the hunk who was obviously trying to fix his car.

 

What she had failed to notice, while she tried to get her act together, was that the man had come out from under the hood and was now facing them, leaning against the bonnet of his car.

 

“Moving in?” He asked, wiping his hands with a rag, that she guessed had once been a dishtowel.

 

“We are” Carol replied with a nod, lifting down a few of the lighter boxes for the kids, while she took one of the ones filled with books.

 

“2D?” He asked, pushing off the bonnet and stepping toward them.

 

“How did you know?” Sophia chirped in.

 

“It’s right across from mine, I knew it was empty” He looked at Sophia, who seemed to take his answer as a good reason for knowing.

 

“I’m Sophia, this is Sam and this is my mom” Sophia introduced them, pointing to Carol and Sam as she spoke.

 

“I also go by Carol.. Matthews” Carol smiled; only slightly embarrassed to be introduced as ‘mom’ to the man whose ass she had been staring at only moments ago.

 

“Daryl Dixon” He said back, holding his hand out towards her. But Sophia was faster and took it, giving it her version of a firm shake, where it was more the shake and not the hold that was firm. To Carol surprise it made the stranger’s lips twitch in what she could have sworn was a slight grin of some sort. He then held out his hand to Sam, who took it a bit more hesitantly and definitely didn’t give much of a shake, but rather just followed Daryl’s lead. 

When Carol got to shake his hand herself, she couldn’t’ help but feel slightly stunned by the way his hand dwarfed hers. The skin of his hand was rough, but his grip was soft.  
She remembered reading something about how you could tell a lot about a person from the way they shook someone’s hand. If that was true, she certainly had the best first impression of him. He came off as somewhat of a loner, but in just these few moments, she could see that it wasn’t because he wasn’t fit for human contact. It both made her curious to what had made him that way, but also just made her like him instantly. He was complex and she loved that trait in people, when there was more to them than met the eye. Some people you could know from just looking at them, but others, like herself, had stories they would never tell and sides to them that they would never show. Those were the people whom she liked to get to know. And she knew she would like to know this man better. To uncover his secrets and earn his trust.

 

“You need a hand?” He asked, pulling her back to the real world.

 

“No, we’re fine” Carol answered, not wanting to force him into helping them, even though he had offered.

 

“Mom!” Sophia moaned, stamping her foot tiredly against the ground. “We need help, I can’t lift the couch!”

 

The way she said it made her sound more like she was 5 than 13 and Carol knew it was because they were already exhausted. It was unfair to ask them to carry all their things up all those stairs, but they didn’t have much of a choice and however little they helped, would still mean that it went faster, than if she had to do it all by herself. And time was money.

 

Without another word, Daryl just stepped up and picked up the box of books that Carol had intended for herself to carry, and carried it like it weighed nothing. “Lead the way kid” He said and followed Sophia as she walked inside. Sam looked to her and didn’t move a muscle before she had nodded her approval.

 

Carol stood for a moment, watching the three of them heading into the building before she snapped out of it and grabbed another box, following them inside. She couldn’t help but watch him as he passed her on the stairs, her going up and him going back down. He was already such a mystery to her.

 

After carrying half of the load upstairs, Carol started to wonder when he would excuse himself and leave. Because he didn’t have to work himself to death, helping her and her kids move in. It was completely unnecessary, and yet he kept working. Sweating like a pig, like the rest of them.  
Sophia and Sam continued to work slower and slower, but to be honest, Carol was surprised that they were still on their feet at all.

 

When they were once again all outside, she pulled Sophia aside, “Could you and Sam go get us some cold drinks? .. I think there’s a store at the end of the street” Sophia smiled tiredly, nodding. She was probably glad to get a break. Carol handed her a bit of money and watched her drag Sam along with her.

 

Going into the truck Daryl was standing ready with another one of the mattresses, for them to carry inside. “I can handle the rest, if you want to leave”

 

Daryl just looked at her blankly, as if he knew exactly what she was trying to do. Then he looked at the couch and mattresses they still needed to carry up, then at her. “Come on, grab a hold” And just like that he’d turned her offer down. Carol was glad that he stayed of course, even if she didn’t understand why he did it.

 

By the time Sophia and Sam returned with icy cold drinks, they had managed to get all three mattresses upstairs. The driver of the truck had returned some time ago, but was just reading the paper in the shadow of his truck. Carol wasn’t oblivious to the glares Daryl sent his way, but she didn’t comment on it. She wouldn’t want to stir a conflict, but Daryl did look like he wanted to kick the guy’s lazy ass.

 

Everyone, except Daryl sat down on the stairs that lead into the building, instead he opened his can of lemonade and finished it in one go. Squashing it in his hand, he threw it at the trashcan, hitting it in the first go. Carol had barely taken her first sip by the time he was done.

 

“We’re on a clock, right?” He replied her questioning look, before going back to the truck and grabbing some chairs. Sophia looked at him as he went back into the building. Then she quickly finished her lemonade and put it in the trash, so she could grab a few shelves to one of Carol’s Ikea bookcases and follow him.

 

Of course, Daryl hadn’t helped getting all the things into the truck, but Carol was still impressed and grateful for his amount of energy. Even more so for Sophia’s, Carol had thought that she would have fallen over by now. Maybe she was trying to impress this new neighbor, but still. Sam was as always less excited about new people, he found it hard to trust strangers, which was something Carol knew she had to talk to him about that. But she couldn’t say that she didn’t understand it.  
Carol drank a bit more of her drink, before she got to her feet again, leaving the drink behind. They had to finish this and she would rather power through it, than have to fight to get her energy up again, after having sat down for a while. However much her legs, back, and arms might be protesting against that.

 

After about another half an hour of work, the truck was finally empty and the driver of the truck drove away with it, after having gotten only the money Carol owed him, no tip.  
When Carol got back to the apartment, it was empty, apart from boxes and furniture that were nowhere near, where Carol wanted them to be.

 

“They’re watching TV at my place” Daryl spoke up, leaning against the doorframe to her apartment.

 

Maybe Carol should have been more careful with who she trusted, especially with her track record. But there was something about this man that made it seem foolish not to trust him. What could he possibly gain from lying to her?  
She nodded softly, as she could imagine her kids staring at the TV like a couple of zombies. Good thing they were still on their summer break, it would have been hell to have to get them out of bed tomorrow. “I think It’ll be a few days before I get ours set up” Carol said quietly as she walked over and collapsed on the couch.

 

Daryl walked over to stand next to the couch, looking around the apartment. “I told them to ring for some pizzas.. figured you could use it”

 

Carol looked at her wristwatch, she hadn’t realized how late it had gotten. To be fair it was only half past 6, but she had thought that it was a couple of hours less than that. “Thank you .. for everything”

 

He shrugged looking at the floor. “Only did what anyone would have done”

 

“Not that truck driver .. “

 

“Nah but he was a prick”

 

Carol laughed a bit at that. “He was” she smiled and could have sworn she saw a smile cross his lips too.

 

“I’ll pay for the pizza” She insisted.

 

He shrugged again “Alright.. But we’re eating at my place, the kids are probably asleep by now, anyway”

 

Carol smiled at him.

 

“Plus I’ve got a table and all that.. Unpacked and everything”

 

“Alright” Carol said, not wanting to argue about it, she was just too tired and he did offer, it would be rude to turn him down.

 

There was a moment where none of them spoke, but not in an awkward way.

 

“I better go check they haven’t burned the place down” Daryl muttered, walking towards the door. “You coming?”

 

“In a bit”

 

He looked at her for a moment, before he walked back to his own apartment, closing the door after him.

 

She took a moment to look around the messy place that was now their new home. Only her second place since she left Ed and Sam’s first new place since his mother died. Carol was determined to make this a place with only good memories for the both of her children. Usually when she got an idea in her head, she didn’t stop before it came true. So no matter how much work it would take to make this place homey, she would do it, and she would do so happily.

 

Pushing off the couch, carol kicked off her shoes and walked barefooted across the hall to Daryl’s apartment, to join the others on his couch, trying not to fall asleep while they waited for the pizzas. His apartment was scarcely furnished, with worn furniture. In that way it looked like Carol was sure her own apartment would. Minus the art and all her books of course. His apartment had a bit more of a ‘man cave’ kind of vibe. It was strange how easily all three of them seemed to accept that Daryl’s apartment was a good place to relax and even stranger, that he didn’t seem to mind it at all.

 

By the time the pizzas arrived, both kids had fallen asleep and Carol had been dangerously close to it too. When they had eaten, the kids fell asleep again, while Carol and Daryl watched the news in silence. After that Carol woke up Sam and Sophia and got them back to their apartment, they went to sleep on the couch, too tired to dig out their pillows and covers from wherever they had been put.

 

Just before entering her apartment again, Carol looked back to see Daryl standing in the door to his, looking after them. “Thank you” She told him again, smiling softly. He just nodded and walked back into his apartment.  
Unlike she would have thought with most people, his silence didn’t seem rude. There just wasn’t any need to say anything more, so he didn’t. Carol still wasn’t sure what to make of him, but she was glad that he was around.


	2. Sandwiches and sunshine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beth still hadn’t showed up, when Carol had to leave for work. Sam had woken up and was now watching cartoons, while eating cereal. Kissing the top of his head, Carol headed for the door.   
> When she was out the door, she sent Beth a quick text, telling her that the door was open and Sam was up. Carol almost didn’t see Daryl before she nearly collided with him in the hall, just outside his apartment.

 

Dale had been nice enough to give her 4 days off, while they moved. It had given her a few days to get most things settled in the apartment, before she had to meet in for work again. There was still quite a few boxes that needed to be unpacked, pictures that needed to be hung, and even more empty boxes that needed to be gotten rid off.

 

But today she needed to go in and work. They were nearing the end of the summer break and before long, Sam and Sophia would be back to school. But for now they were still asleep as Carol made it off the mattress that she had placed on the floor in her room. There hadn’t been enough money to buy herself a proper bed since she got divorced. But she made do with the mattress. The hardest bit was just getting up from it in the morning. After that was done, everything else seemed easy.

 

Even though Sophia was 13 and more or less old enough to take care of herself, Carol still hired one of the local girls to watch them, when she was working. Sophia wasn’t happy about it, but she did like both Beth and Tara, who took turns babysitting. So it was bearable, plus the two girls were amazing at helping both Sophia and Sam with their homework, even if Sam didn’t talk to them much. It would take him time and Carol was okay with that, thankfully the girls were too, they were very patient with him.

 

Beth still hadn’t showed up, when Carol had to leave for work. Sam had woken up and was now watching cartoons, while eating cereal. Kissing the top of his head, Carol headed for the door.   
When she was out the door, she sent Beth a quick text, telling her that the door was open and Sam was up. Carol almost didn’t see Daryl before she nearly collided with him in the hall, just outside his apartment. “Oh.. Sorry, I didn’t see you”

 

Daryl just looked at her, as if he was wondering what she had apologized for. “Settled in alright?”

 

“Yes, thank you. Still a few boxes left, but at least I’m nearly sure the couch is placed right”

 

He huffed, something she expected was supposed to be a suppressed laugh.

 

“Did you get your car fixed?” She asked as they walked together, towards the stairs and down.

 

“huh?”

 

“The car you were working on, before you came over to help us unload the truck”

 

“Not my car.. That was 3B’s.. He’s been having some trouble with it, asked me to take a look”

 

“ah.. so you’re a mechanic”

 

He just nodded as they made their way outside. “Sophia already asked me to fix your car”

 

Carol felt her cheeks heat a bit, sometimes that girl had a mouth on her, far bigger than what was good for her. “You don’t have to do that..” The truth was that it wasn’t really broken, not yet. It was just making an odd sound from time to time. She feared it might break down someday and she would be really screwed. But with moving and all that, she just didn’t have the money to have it fixed. At least, not before it really desperately needed fixing, like when it wouldn’t start.  

 

“I told her I’d take a look, but there’s not a lot I can fix here.. But if I can I will”

 

Carol looked at him, wondering why he was being so kind to her and her family. Maybe he had lost one of his own. “I’d really appreciate it.. But I don’t have the money for it right now.. Maybe next month?”

 

“Didn’t say I’d need paying” he said simply, as they walked around the building, to the parking lot. Daryl stopped when they reached his bike. It looked old, as if he might have had it for many years, but it was well kept. Being a mechanic probably did that.

 

Carol stopped too, looking at him. “I can’t keep taking your charity –“

 

“Why not?”

 

“Well I .. “ She hesitated, not knowing how to reply to that. Of course, she had accepted help from others before, but not since she divorced Ed. After that she wanted to do everything on her own, she was strong and capable enough now. “I want to do something for you in return“

 

“Don’t have to”

 

“I want to” But what could she do to show how much she appreciated his help? She could sew, but she doubted he needed that. Of course there was cooking and baking, those were useful skills, but nothing like fixing cars or helping carry heavy things.   
Looking at her watch, Carol winched at the time. “I really need to go.. I’ll think of something” Carol said as she walked away to find her own car.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Traffic was horrible, as it usually was around 8 in the morning. It didn’t really matter when she left home, somehow she ended up being late for work anyway. Not that Dale really minded, Carol couldn’t remember ever having seen that man upset.   
They didn’t open up until 9 anyway, so it didn’t matter much if she met in 15 minutes late or not. And some days he didn’t even come in, if he was out hunting down new rare books for them to sell. Dale had a small room in the back, where he restored books. It was a big project to do that, so he only did it if a book was very valuable or rare, but then he did charge a whole lot more for them. But they also sold secondhand books, that were dropped off by the door or during the day. So they had quite a few book that weren’t rare ones, even though Dale tried his best for his shop to be only rare books. But they did have to make money too and not everyone could afford the rare books.

 

The shop was empty when she got there, which wasn’t such a rare thing. It was Monday after all, Mondays were always slow and Carol thought that since Dale had been alone in the store most of last week, he had probably taken the day off. Sure enough, when she made it out of the backrooms, there was a few bags of books on the counter with a note saying:

 

_-          ‘Went hunting Sunday, here is the loot. Taking Monday off. Dale’_

 

Dale liked going to antique or secondhand markets, looking for books, so she knew it wasn’t like a chore for him. But sometimes he went quite far to attend them, so a day off was not an unfair deal.

 

Working in the bookstore was not a highly stressful job, by 11 O’clock there still hadn’t been any costumers and she had only just finished pricing, categorizing, and putting all the new books on shelves. The pathways between all the shelves were quite narrow and there was a moldy smell, but not in a bad way. That smell that old books had and that any decent bookshop really should have.   
The shelves were so crowded that Carol was surprised that she could find room for all the new books and still keep them listed alphabetically. There were stacks of books on the floor, on tables, under tables – everywhere. But there was a system to the madness, it was supposed to look messy, that just made it interesting. It was supposed to be an adventure to come into the shop, Dale said. You were meant to spend at least an hour, looking around and find books you hadn’t even gone in to find, and hopefully go home with more books than you meant to.

 

Sitting at the counter, with a book and wondering if she should try a different display in the window, Carol was brought out of her thoughts when her phone buzzed in her pocket.

 

_‘ You busy for lunch?’_

 

Andrea, Carol smiled at the phone. She hadn’t heard from her in a couple of weeks now, which wasn’t that bad, but having only spent time with her kids and Dale in the meantime, she really needed a likeminded woman to talk to.

 

_‘Not at all, but I’m alone at the store.. Could you bring something?’_

 

_‘Sure – give me half an hour’_

 

It was hot outside, although not as hot as it had been, when they were moving. Sitting outside in the noon sun would be too hot, but sitting inside was too stuffy too. There was a parasol in the back, that they normally used when they had a sale for some of the most worn books, or books they couldn’t sell. They usually put up a table outside and if it was in the summer, the parasol came up too. “No one wants to buy a faded book,” Dale usually said.

 

It took a bit of work to drag that big thing around to the front of the building and put it up. But Carol was fairly sure that it would be worth it. It certainly made a nice patch of shadow and with a blanket spread out beneath it, it looked like the perfect picnic spot.

 

Carol brought her book out and sat in the light July breeze, it was only almost too hot to handle. The breeze made it bearable.

 

“Are we going on a picnic?” A voice asked, standing not too far away.

 

Carol looked up and smiled at Andrea. “I thought we might” She got up from her seat and hugged her.

 

“I got us sandwiches” Andrea said when Carol had let go of her. It certainly wasn’t her most creative idea of food for lunch, Andrea had in the past, dragged Carol out to all sorts of odd lunch places. Like a place where they mostly served seaweed, which was very odd. Carol remembered reading in the paper that that place had closed down only a week after they had been there. Thank god. Meant she didn’t have to go there again.

 

“Sounds delicious” Carol smiled as they sat down on the blanket.

 

“So how was the move?” Andrea asked when they had tugged into their sandwiches.

 

“Exhausting.. Sophia and Sam were champions, they helped all day, poor things. I thought they would have given up after getting everything into that truck.” Carol smiled as she always did, when she spoke of them.

 

“What, no one helped you?”

 

“Well, one of my neighbors did when we had made enough noise to disturb him.. And when we got there one of the new neighbors helped us, with the whole load”

 

“Oooh, am I sensing a bit of interest? .. I’m assuming it’s a guy”

 

Carol glared at her, damn her and her lawyer way to know what everyone was thinking. “He is a guy and.. I don’t really know him yet”

 

“But you’re interested?” She asked, sounding way too excited about it already.

 

Carol felt herself blushing. “I might be..” she said, trying her hardest to sound casual, as she stared at her sandwich.

 

“Oh my god.. Carol Matthews actually interested in a man and it’s not even a fictional man, It’s a real man”

 

“Shut up” Carol huffed, throwing a piece of bell pepper in her direction. All the while feeling her cheeks get hotter. “So .. What’s new with you?” She tried, hoping to throw Andrea off the current topic.

 

“Oh you know, nothing interesting,” she said quickly, to get that out of the way before she could ask something else “So what’s he like? What’s his name? Do I know him? Does Sam and Sophia like him?”

 

Carol glared at her again, which managed to get her to stop listing questions. “He’s .. I don’t know.. Complicated. Very quiet, strong. “ She remembered the first look she had gotten at his arms and immediately decided that she needed to say something else, before she got lost in that daydream … again…   
“His name’s Daryl, I have no idea if you know him. But yes, Sophia seems to like him, I don’t know about Sam.. Too soon to tell”

 

“You didn’t get his last name?”

 

“You’re not going to google him”

 

“Why not? I need to look out for you”

 

“I can do that myself, thank you.. Besides I don’t think you’d find anything.. He seems like a low-tec guy”

 

“I could see if he has a criminal record”

 

“I don’t think I’d want to know that.. It’d be like going through his things” Carol doubted that he could have done more than grand theft auto, when he was a kid or something like that. Something harmless, he didn’t seem like the guy to do anything seriously criminal.

 

“I would think you’d want to know that..” Andrea said, suddenly more quiet and thoughtful.

 

“He’s not Ed.. “

 

“I didn’t say he was”

 

“But you were thinking it.. He doesn’t deserve to be compared to him, it wouldn’t be fair.”

 

“Alright.. but if you change your mind, you know where to find me”

 

“Just eat would you” Carol smiled a bit, biting into her sandwich again.

 

After a while of eating in almost silence, Andrea spoke up again. “I’m happy for you”

 

Carol just glared at her.

 

“I’m serious.. It’s been four years since you left Ed. It’s about time you found someone else” – “Not that you need it.. But it’s nice to have someone, you know”

 

Carol nodded a bit, agreeing with her. “But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.. It’s not like he’s gonna look at me twice”

 

“Carol Matthews, will you shut up! You’re gorgeous and you better not forget it”

 

That made Carol laugh and Andrea followed her lead.

 

“So this is what you do, when I’m not here?” A voice sounded from behind them.

 

Carol turned to look up at Dale, standing with his hands on his hips, looking at the both of them. Had he not been smiling, Carol might have feared for her job.

 

“Of course Dale, I just sit out here all day, sunbathing”

 

“I could hear you yapping from all the way down the street”

 

“Well it’s a very interesting topic” Andrea chipped in. “Carol met a man”

 

Unfortunately Dale and Andrea had met in the past and got along swimmingly, which didn’t always work out so well for her.

 

“That _is_ interesting” Dale smiled at the both of them, making Carol feel like another interrogation was coming on.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Lunch had dragged on for another half hour, as Carol underwent a third degree interrogation, led by Andrea and Dale.   
She was pretty sure that it would continue over texts, as Andrea overanalyzed everything that she had told her. It was sweet of her to be so interested in Carol’s non-existing love life and of course she was glad to have a person that cared so much. Andrea had been the lawyer who had helped her get divorced and get the restraining order out on Ed. And also the one to help her adopt Sam, when his mother died and his father went to jail.   
The poor boy had been so traumatized that he hadn’t spoken a word for weeks. He still went to see a therapist once a week and he had come a long way. But Carol knew what kind of scars it would leave on him, to have seen his mom, moments after she had died. It hadn’t directly been his dad’s fault. It had been yet another fight, he hit her and she fell down, hitting her head against the kitchen counter and just didn’t get up again.

 

After having picked up a few groceries, Carol headed home, in the end of the afternoon. Only worrying slightly about the high-pitched noise her car made.   
When she got back to the apartment, she was surprised to find that instead of Beth, Daryl was sitting on the couch, watching some movie with her kids. Having talked so much about Daryl during the day, made it suddenly a big deal that he was sitting on _her_ couch, watching a movie with _her_ kids.

 

“Hello” Carol said, closing the door after her. They all turned to look at her, Sam being the only one who actually got up and ran to her for a hug. “Where’s Beth?” She asked, once Sam had gotten a very tight hug.

 

“Her boyfriend called and she had to leave”

 

Carol’s brow furrowed as Sam spoke, she wasn’t supposed to run out if she felt like it. That wasn’t what she was paid to do.

 

“We told Beth that Mr. Dixon could watch us” Sophia said, still watching the TV.

 

“You shouldn’t have done that. It’s not his responsibility to look after you. It’s Beth’s, it’s why I pay her” Carol didn’t like saying that in front of him. But there wasn’t much of a choice about it, as much as she trusted him with her kids, it was unfair of her to expect him to look after her kids.

 

“It’s fine” Daryl said, calm as ever.

 

“No.. it’s not. Beth could at least have called Tara”

 

“She did.. Tara was busy” Sophia said, making Carol sigh. “Then she could have driven you to me. She is not supposed to just leave you!” Carol said perhaps a bit too angrily, before she grabbed the groceries and went to the kitchen to put them away.

 

Once the groceries were put away, she stood for a while, looking out the window, trying to come up with a way to deal with this. She would definitely need to talk to Beth, that much was sure. This could not happen again, but beyond that, she just didn’t know what to do about it.

 

“Look” Daryl said, making her jump as she turned quickly to face him. “I understand why you don’t trust me with your kids, but I wasn’t doing anything so.. thought I might help”

 

Carol immediately softened, realizing why he might think that she had been angry. He was a stranger and all that, but that wasn’t why. “You did help .. a lot..  and it’s not that I don’t trust you with them. I do.. Even though I don’t know you at all..” She took a step in his direction, leaning against the counter. “But what if you hadn’t been home. Would Beth have taken off anyway, leaving them on their own.. Without even calling me?”

 

Daryl didn’t say anything, although he did lift his eyes off the floor when she told him she trusted him.

 

“I thought I could trust her to at least contact me if anything happened.” Carol knew that she didn’t handle things like this very well, but when it came to her kids, things like this mattered. And she hated being lied to. If Beth tried to buy her off with some sort of story, she would never let her babysit again.

 

Again Daryl didn’t talk, just listened. It was oddly calming to not have him defend Beth or even just trying to reason with the situation or with her. She got the feeling that he was still figuring her out, so that he would know how he should act in a situation like this.

 

“When they babysit, I usually make them stay for dinner.. I’ve got quarter of a lasagna to spare.. you interested?”

 

He looked at her for a moment, then nodded. “Alright”

 

Carol smiled a bit, glad that he wasn’t fighting her on that. Then she went on to cooking said lasagna. For a while Daryl just watched her. Then he mumbled something about wanting to see how 101 Dalmatians ended and went back to the living room.


	3. 3 am lemonades

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She walked over and stuck her head out of the window, after putting the shorts on. There was a light next to a car that looked a lot like hers. Carol remembered giving Daryl the keys to her car, when she had gotten back from work. She wouldn’t need to use it before Monday, when she was going in for work again. But she hadn’t expected Daryl to take a look at it before Saturday morning or something like that. Certainly not working on it, in the middle of the night.

 

One thing Carol did not like about the summer period, was the unbearably hot nights. Sheets sticking to her sweaty body as she tossed and turned, trying desperately to fall asleep. Carol huffed irritated as she checked her phone for the time, which she apparently did every half hour. 2:37. She had literally been tossing and turning for 3 and a half hour, painfully aware of every moment of it. The wide-open window and the electric fan did nothing to help cool her bedroom.

 

Giving up, Carol got up from her bed with an irritated huff. Lying in her bed clearly wasn’t getting her anywhere. Grabbing a pair of shorts, something caught her eye outside the window. Maybe part of why she hadn’t been able to sleep was also due to the lack of curtains. Another thing she had to acquire when the next paycheck rolled in.

 

She walked over and stuck her head out of the window, after putting the shorts on. There was a light next to a car that looked a lot like hers. Carol remembered giving Daryl the keys to her car, when she had gotten back from work. She wouldn’t need to use it before Monday, when she was going in for work again. But she hadn’t expected Daryl to take a look at it before Saturday morning or something like that. Certainly not working on it, in the middle of the night.   
Quickly putting on a bra underneath her tank top, Carol went to the kitchen and got a couple of glasses of lemonade. Then she put on a pair of flip-flops, grabbed her keys and headed out the door.

 

 “Couldn’t sleep?” Carol asked as she stepped up to her car. The radio in the car was on, playing softly into the night air, keeping him awake she thought and probably keeping him from hearing her approach.

 

Daryl hit his head up into the hood of her car. She heard him groaning a bit, then silence. “Something like that” He murmured.

 

She peered under the hood, where he was already looking in her direction, rubbing what she assumed would be a bump on his head. “Sorry.. Thought you might want some lemonade”

 

He came out from under the hood, still rubbing his head. “What’re you doing up?”

 

She handed him one glass and kept the other for herself. “It’s too hot to sleep”

 

He grunted, in what she assumed was agreement.

 

“Is that why you’re looking at my car instead of sleeping?”

 

Daryl just looked at her, while drinking lemonade. Then nodded.

 

Carol smiled softly, then looked at the car. “Did you find out what’s wrong with it?” She asked, biting her lip nervously, hoping that it wasn’t something that would bankrupt her.

 

“The V-belt’s a bit loose,” He said looking at the engine.

 

“Is that serious?” Carol asked, willingly admitting that cars was not one of the many subjects she had read about. It just wasn’t one of the things she found interesting. Then again, if there was money to save, she might have been convinced to study up on it.

 

“Nah.. I can fix it.. actually I’m nearly done”

 

“Really?” Carol looked happily surprised. Something she had thought would cost her hundreds of dollars, just turned out to be easily fixable.

 

Daryl smiled at her, the first real honest to god smile, she had seen him crack in the short time she had known him. One that made her stomach flip and her heartrate speed up. “It’s an easy fix” He told her, handing her the glass and going back down under the hood.

 

Carol put the glasses on the ground and followed him some of the way, her head only a few inches from his as she tried to watch him work.

 

Daryl took out the flashlight from the grip between his teeth, wiped it in his shirt and handed it to her. “Make yourself useful”

 

Carol smiled a bit, feeling oddly giddy to be this close to him, watching him work, a concentrated look on his face. Andrea had sent her a lot of text in the past few days, all asking about Daryl. As much as Carol might try not to notice everything about him, having Andrea torment her with questions about him, made it impossible not to. She hadn’t actually seen Andrea since they had lunch earlier in the week, but she could imagine her squealing and giggling over every detail Carol gave her.   
But when she was left to her own thoughts, Carol couldn’t help but wonder if it was all in her head. She couldn’t even explain what it was about him, that made her insides all tingly. But she knew that she was not going to introduce him to Andrea, or she’d just run off with him. Not that Andrea would do that, but she’d definitely see what Carol liked so much about him, and well.. he’d see her. She was younger and .. Andrea. What man in his right mind wouldn’t see how beautiful she was?

 

It wasn’t before he looked over at her, after finishing the work on the car, that Carol realized she had been looking at him and not what he was doing, the entire time.   
“All done” the corner of his lips twitched for a moment as he looked at her.

 

They were so close, it wouldn’t take any effort to lean in those few inches and kiss those lips she couldn’t take her eyes off. Her heartbeat picked up again as he didn’t look away from her. She could feel his breath on her face. “What?” He asked, quietly.

 

Great – caught. Now her heart was beating fast for another reason entirely.

 

_*Come up with something.. fast!*_

 

“You just saved me a lot of money.. I’m.. very grateful” Okay so that wasn’t a lie but it wasn’t what she had been thinking about just now. She leaned in, but constrained herself to kissing his cheek, and then quickly ducking out and away from under the hood, so she could blush into the darkness, hoping that he didn’t see it.

 

 _*Smooth*_ she scolded herself, picking up her glass again.

 

In the meantime, Daryl closed the hood of the car, gathered his tools and picked up his lemonade. “It’s no big deal” He muttered sitting on the hood of the car.

 

Carol turned and went to sit next to him, handing him his flashlight back. “It is.” She looked at him, finding him looking back. “I’m not used to people helping me without wanting something in return” Okay so not people, just men. But she was not going to say that to him. He didn’t need to know her mess of a past. “So it is a big deal .. to me”

 

Daryl smiled a bit again, making her stomach flutter again, as he nudged her shoulder. “I’m not used to people bringing me lemonade at three in the morning”

 

Carol smiled, looking at her nearly empty lemonade glass. “Is it really 3?”

 

He nodded and Carol sighed. “I haven’t been up this late since.. Since Sophia was a toddler and wouldn’t go to sleep” Okay, so that was a lie. But if she didn’t want to tell Daryl about the nights she hadn’t been able to sleep, because her husband had beaten her up so bad that everything hurt, she had to lie. And not counting those nights, Sophia keeping her up, was the truth.

 

“Sam didn’t keep you up?” He asked.

 

Carol looked at him, surprised, she had thought that it was obvious that Sam wasn’t her son. But of course Daryl had never met Ed, so he wouldn’t know that Sam looked nothing like him. “Sam isn’t mine” She said softly. “I adopted him about 6 months ago”

 

He looked at her, with a look she couldn’t quite decipher, then nodded.

 

They sat for a while in silence, listening to the radio and finishing their drinks. “Sun’ll be coming up in a bit” He then said.

 

“Guess I can forget about sleeping then”

 

“I know a good way of ending an all-nighter”

 

“What?”

 

“Come on” Daryl pushed off the hood and put his glass down on the ground.

 

Carol followed his example and then followed him. When he stopped at his bike, she just looked at him.

 

“What?”

 

“I’ve – I’ve never been on a motorbike”

 

“No time like the present” He climbed on it, looking at her. “I’ll take it slow.. get on”

 

After having stood looking at him for a while, she finally got on, placing her hands at his sides.

 

Daryl kicked the bike into a start, the shaking of which scared Carol into moving much closer to him, wrapping her arms firmly around him.

 

She felt the rumble of his chest, but couldn’t hear his chuckle. If she had had her hands free, she would have slapped him on the shoulder. There wasn’t anything funny about this.

 

Daryl drove them out on the road, circling around the block a few times, as the sun turned the sky pastel colors. After the second round around the block, Carol relaxed enough to rest her head against his back, just enjoying the cool air that few by them and the rumble of the machine under them. She didn’t fail to notice the smell the clung to his shirt. Motor oil, sweat, and something that she couldn’t quite place, but that was probably just how he smelled. Her stomach made a flip again as she breathed it in, thankful that he would never notice because of the noise from the bike.

 

Having her eyes closed, she didn’t realize that he had driven back into the parking lot, before he turned off the bike. Carol opened her eyes, but at first she didn’t move. Instead she just stayed put, with her arms around him, too comfortable to move.

 

“You asleep?” Daryl asked, trying to twist his neck far enough to see.

 

“Almost” She replied sleepily.

 

He chuckled again, making her smile.

 

“You’re very comfortable,” She said before she could stop herself, instantly blushing when she realized what she had said.

 

Daryl huffed out a laugh “Never heard that before”

 

Carol kept smiling, before she had gathered enough energy to get off the bike. “That was .. the best way to end this night” She wouldn’t say just how good it had felt to be so close to him, for such a long while. It would just be another thing to fill out her lonely daydreams.

 

Daryl parked the bike and got off it. They walked back to the car together, gathering their things, before they went back inside.

 

When they made it to their apartments, Daryl turned to face her, when they stopped at his door. She wasn’t sure if he was going to say anything so she did instead. “As part of a thank you for fixing my car.. would you like to come to brunch tomorrow?.. We’re having pancakes” Sophia and Sam had been talking about it all week, like pancakes were the highlight of their week.

 

She could see he thought about it, before he nodded. “You keep paying me with food like this, I’m gonna get fat”

 

Carol smiled, “You better stop helping me then”

 

“Not gonna happen”

 

She walked away with a smile on her face, “Night Daryl”

 

“Night” He replied before entering his apartment.

 


	4. Perfect fit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How did this happen? It had barely been a week and she had already fallen this hard, for this stranger across the hall. As she watched them, she couldn’t stop herself from thinking that it fit. He fit. Daryl fit right into her small family, like he was meant to be there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the positive feedback, you guys are the best!

 

Carol was barely awake when there was a knock at the door. She stretched, groaning a bit, before she got up, wrapping her bathrobe around her and heading for the door.

 

“Shit” Was the first thing he said, when she opened the door.

 

“Didn’t realize I looked that bad” Carol replied smiling groggily, running a hand through her hair.

 

“You don’t!” He quickly retorted. “Shit” he muttered again, scratching the back of his neck. “I’m too early.. You didn’t say when, so I.. “

 

“Oh.. I didn’t, did I? .. What time is it?” Carol felt so awkward for not having told him when to come over. That was what she got for having asked him over when she was exhausted, and being very distracted by .. well, him.

 

“9:30” He replied quietly, looking like a dog getting a scolding.

 

She took a moment to look at him, now that she was a bit more awake. His hair was still wet from the shower he had apparently taken not too long ago and he looked like he had trimmed his beard. She didn’t fail to notice the clean shirt that he was wearing, one with actual sleeves for once. Thinking about it, it was probably the first time she had seen him in sleeves. It looked good on him, as much as she loved to ogle his strong arms, she had to admit that sleeves looked good too. “You’re not early”

 

Carol stepped back from the door, opening it enough for him to enter. He had a bag in his hands and she wondered what might be in it. “I can come back later..”

 

“Come in” She gestured with her hand, towards the apartment. He looked at her for a moment, like he was weighing his options, before he stepped inside. “Before I change my mind” Carol smiled at him.

 

“I’ll just go get dressed” She said as she closed the door behind him. Daryl nodded, but she didn’t miss the slow elevator look he gave her. He wouldn’t be able to see much, due to the robe, but it still made Carol blush all the way back to her bedroom.

 

When she came back out, in a pair of jeans that cut off just below the knees and a mauve tank top, she was still barefooted. It was one of her favorite things about summer – not needing shoes.   
Daryl was standing in her living room, without the bag, looking at one of the pictures she had finally gotten up on the wall. He turned to look at her, when she entered the room.

 

“You like it?”

 

“Huh?” He replied, sounding confused.

 

“The picture”

 

Daryl looked back at it, humming something, before he nodded.

 

Carol stepped up beside him, her smile grew when he nodded. Still a small slightly shy smile, but a smile none the less.   
It was a penciled sketch of a small child sleeping, looking so peaceful. “She was only two then”

 

“Sophia?”

 

Carol nodded. She had been sick, throwing up all night. Ed had, as usual, not been any help. The only thing he had done was grunt and threaten her to get Sophia to shut up – or else …   
Of course Carol hadn’t been able to make her stop crying, so she had taken a pounding for her. It hadn’t been the first time and it hadn’t been the last either. But when Sophia had finally settled down and Ed had fallen asleep. She hadn’t been able to sleep, so she had done a sketch. Something she did from time to time, to forget pain or fear back then. Then quickly hide it, so Ed wouldn’t find it and tear it up in his next rage. It was one of the few sketches she had managed to save, which was why it was now framed and hung on the wall.

 

“You did that?”

 

“Don’t sound so surprised”

 

“I’m not.. just – didn’t know you did that”

 

“I don’t .. anymore” She smiled quietly at him, before turning and heading for the kitchen, where she noticed her had put down the bag on the counter. Daryl followed her silently to the kitchen, watched her get out a few things from the cupboards as she started mixing the batter for the pancakes.

 

“Why?” His voice was quiet as he watched her through the hair that constantly hung down in front of his face.

 

Carol added a bit of milk to the mix, before she looked back at him, for just a moment and then looked back to the mix as she stirred.   
How did she explain that? She had loved drawing in the past, it had been a way of escape, to forget everything else. But she didn’t want him to know that. Carol liked it when he looked at her like she was just another neighbor. She didn’t want that to change. For him to start looking at her like a victim of abuse, like so many others did. She had been that woman for so long and she was sick of it. She wasn’t that, she wasn’t just a woman who used to be beaten up by her husband, she was so much more. And she wanted him to see her for that, for the ‘everything else’ and not the victim she had been.

 

So she just shrugged, “Don’t have the time” she glanced back at him and was met by a face that clearly didn’t believe her. But he didn’t say anything, just looked at her. As if he accepted that there was more to that story, but she didn’t want to, or wasn’t ready to share it. Words couldn’t describe how much she appreciated that.

 

“What’s in the bag?” She asked when the silence had gone on long enough.

 

Daryl stepped over to open it and threw something at her in a soft curve. Not having anything in her hands at that moment, Carol caught it.   
An orange, she smelled it, a very fresh orange. Not supermarket fresh – farmers market fresh. That combined with the shower and the clean clothes. Had he been up at the crack of dawn, just to bring oranges? A smile spread across her lips as she tossed it back to him. “Juice?”

 

He nodded. Carol found her juicer from a cupboard. It was one of those manual ones that fit onto a pitcher and you just squeezed the oranges right into it. “Make yourself useful” She quoted him from the other night.

 

They worked on the food for a bit, exchanging glances and small talk.   
The smell of the pancakes must have woken up the kids, before too long both of them came into the kitchen, Sam walking over to stand right next to Carol, Sophia staying at the door.

 

She had told them that Daryl would be joining them for pancakes, but they had probably not thought that he would be taking part in the cooking of them. They liked him, she knew that much, they talked about him, almost as often as she thought about him. Even Sam, who hardly spoke to anyone.

 

“Are you coming to the park too?” Sam asked looking around Carol, up at him.

 

Daryl looked back at him, then at Carol.

 

“I promised, I’d take them to the park today.” Sam had been asking ever since they moved in. This new apartment was much closer to the park. Walking distance. For Sam’s last birthday, the first he had had with her and Sophia, they had given him a small boat. Carol had attached a string to it, so he could drag it along the waterside at the lake in the park. She had wanted to give him a remote-controlled boat, but she couldn’t afford it. Sam didn’t seem to care, he was so excited about his little boat, like it was the best present he had ever gotten.

 

“You should come” Sophia smiled from the doorway.

 

Carol looked at him, as he looked from Sophia and back to her. “You can come.. If you’re not too busy”

 

“I’m not busy” He said, Sophia and Sam smiled, like it was settled just like that.

 

“We’re gonna sail my boat” Sam said excitedly, almost jumping up and down, making Carol smile. It wasn’t often that he acted like this around people that wasn’t her or Sophia. To think that he might be beginning to trust somebody else and not just that, another man, gave her hope for him.

 

“Could you set the table?” They both nodded and started finding cutlery, carrying it to the table. They had done so, so many times that they didn’t need to ask who got what. They were a well-oiled machine. It was only that one thing, they could do like that, but it never failed to make her smile.

 

“Don’t feel pressured to come.. They’ll understand, if you can’t come.. it’s okay”

 

“Maybe I want to come.. Maybe I like boats”

 

Carol huffed out a small laugh. “Right..” She flipped a pancake, hearing him huff too.

 

The talk around the table between Sam and Sophia was excited, as they ate. Carol was glad that something as simple as a trip to the park could excite them that much. She didn’t have the money to be the mother that took her kids to Disneyworld or on a holiday every summer. But that didn’t mean that she didn’t want the very best for them. She worked her ass off, so that they could have a roof over their heads and have all that they needed to get from day to day. That was what made a good mother, wasn’t it?

 

As soon as they were full, both Sam and Sophia left the table. Sam to give his boat a test run in the bathtub, with strict instructions not to fill up the tub all the way, and Sophia to find their Frisbee.

 

Carol started clearing the table, with Daryl’s help. But before too long, Sam appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, ever so quietly, with a pout on his face.

 

“Sweetie?.. What’s wrong?” Carol put a couple of plates in the sink, before she went to kneel in front of him, giving him all her attention.

 

“My boat sank” he said quietly, looking at his feet.

 

Carol returned his pout, knowing how much he loved that boat. “Show me” she then said and followed him to the bathroom. Sam pouted the entire time, as Carol fished the boat out of the bathtub and poured the water from it. It had a crack in the haul, right across the middle. Must have happened while it was packed away in one of the boxes.

 

“See?” Carol held the boat upside down, pointing to the crack, to explain to him why it had sunk. Sam nodded, his bottom lip wobbling as tears welled up in his eyes. It broke her heart to see. “I’m sorry sweetie” She wished that she had the money to buy him a new boat and maybe she would, later. But not this month and not in the next. Who knew what might happen later, maybe she wouldn’t have the money for it at all and she didn’t want to get his hopes up, if it wouldn’t happen.

 

“Let me see” Daryl said, standing in the door. Carol hadn’t noticed that he had followed them. She handed him the boat, having already given up on it as she turned to hug Sam.

 

“I think I can fix this,” He muttered, making both Sam and Carol look up at him in surprise.

 

“Really?” Sam asked, tears gone and the smile back on his face.

 

Daryl nodded, walking out of the bathroom, with the boat in his hands. Sam ran after him, suddenly forgetting all about Carol.

 

When she came out of the bathroom, Daryl had left the apartment, with Sam hot on his heels. She really hoped Daryl would be able to fix that boat, or there would be far more tears. Carol went back to cleaning up and then put on a light shirt over her tank top, so her shoulders wouldn’t get sunburned.

 

After packing a blanket, a few bottles of water, and a book, Carol and Sophia went to Daryl’s apartment to check on the boat repair. They walked in to find Daryl and Sam sitting close together at his kitchen table. Sam’s face was basically right where Daryl’s hands were, but Daryl didn’t complain. Carol watched them with a warm smile on her lips. Daryl looked up at her, glancing at Sam and then back to her, as a smile spread on his lips too. Like he somehow understood how much it meant to her, to see him bond with another person. How did he get to be so insightful?

 

It took them a while, before Daryl had worked his magic and screwed the deck back onto the haul. “That should be dry by the time we get to the park”

 

“You fixed it?” Sam asked, accepting the boat from Daryl’s hands like it was the holy grail.

 

Daryl nodded “Think so” Carol couldn’t remember having seen a smile that big on Sam’s face, since the first time he sailed that boat.

 

“Go get your shoes” She told Sam, who ran right back to the apartment, boat held tightly in his hands.

 

Sophia walked right up to Daryl, wrapping her arms around him, giving him a tight hug. “Thank you” Perhaps she knew that Sam might not actually say those words, so she did it for him. Or she was just happy the Daryl had just saved them from Sam pouting for the rest of the month.

 

Daryl just stood, holding up his hands, looking very uncomfortable. When she didn’t let go, he slowly lowered his arms, patting her shoulder, very awkwardly.

 

Carol watched them, trying very hard not to laugh.

 

When she finally let go and went out into the hallway, Daryl stood frozen for a moment.

 

“You okay?” Daryl looked like he was in a daze.

 

“Daryl?”

 

“Huh?” He finally looked up at her.

 

Carol almost snorted out a laugh as she met his gaze, but managed to limit it to a smile.   
“They like you.. hugs are part of the package”

 

His lips twitched a bit, then he nodded. Carol wasn’t quite sure what to make of that. But it was obvious that he wasn’t used to kids hugging him on a whim.

 

“Come on.. Sam won’t wait forever” She smiled at him, before leaving his apartment.

 

\------

 

As soon as they arrived at the park and Carol let go of his hand, Sam ran straight for the lake. Sophia took off right after him, catching up with him before he reached his destination.

 

Daryl walked alongside her, as they headed for the lake. “He doesn’t trust easily” Carol started, looking at him. “His dad is.. not a nice man so..”

 

Daryl nodded slowly, the look in his eyes, told her he understood and she felt like she didn’t need to explain it any further.

 

“So it means a lot.. “

 

“I know” He said simply, meeting her gaze. She couldn’t tell how he knew, but there was only so many ways that he could know. She didn’t ask, just like he hadn’t, instead she just nodded like he had a habit of doing.

 

“It’s floating!” Sam yelled excitedly from the lake, as he dragged the boat along the shore.

 

When they made it to the Lake, Sam was half way around it. It wasn’t a big lake, so they’d be able to see him all the way around.   
It made Carol smile so much as she watched him. She glanced at Daryl and found him looking at her – no, staring at her. Carol looked at him for a few moments, her smile not fading one bit, before she looked back at Sam. To see him look at her like that, made her heart flutter in ways she couldn’t describe. Seeing him with Sam and Sophia did the same thing. She couldn’t say why, but she knew that she didn’t want to do without it.

 

Carol found a spot of shadow underneath a tree, where she could see Sam, there she spread out the blanket. Sophia threw the Frisbee at Daryl, which resulted in them throwing it back and forth. She watched them and Sam, from the blanket, smiling all the time.

 

How did this happen? It had barely been a week and she had already fallen this hard, for this stranger across the hall. As she watched them, she couldn’t stop herself from thinking that it fit. He fit. Daryl fit right into her small family, like he was meant to be there. It was an immature thing to think, things never worked out like that, not for her. And she couldn’t risk them, her kids. Sam had already lost both his parents, Sophia her dad. She couldn’t let them get that close to him, if he turned out not to feel the same. And why would he? Why would he feel the same?   
Carol didn’t hate herself, of course not. But she just couldn’t see anything about herself that a man would find attractive. She was a poor, middle-aged woman, who had come from an abusive relationship, and had two kids who both had a troubled past as well. Why would anyone ever want to take on that load?

 

Of course she didn’t know much about him either. But Carol could tell that he had a troubled past, how else would he be able to decode Sam so easily? He wasn’t telling and why would he? Whatever it was Carol didn’t want to push him about it, she didn’t have the right to.

 

She was brought out of her head, when Daryl fell down on the blanket next to her. Carol looked up to see that Sam had pulled his boat out the water and was now playing catch with Sophia, throwing around the frisbee. Daryl looked slightly sweaty, she couldn’t blame him, it was a hot day. He had rolled up his sleeves to his elbows; of course she would notice that.

 

Carol grabbed a bottle of water from the bag she had brought, handing it to him.

 

Popping up on his elbows, he took the bottle, drinking about half of it. “I’m too old for this shit”

 

Carol huffed, shaking her head. “No one can keep up with them.” Sophia was on the soccer team of her school, so she could literally run around for hours and Sam had just had pancakes, so he was still on a sugar high. “And you’re not old”

 

“Feel like it”

 

“You’re not.. Cause if you are, I am too”

 

 “Well..”

 

Carol slapped his shoulder “Don’t you have any manners?”

 

Daryl laughed quietly, looking terribly smug.

 

Of course, she couldn’t help but smile at him. Him and that stupid grin he had on his face.

 

\------

 

They stayed at the park for hours, watching the kids play, laying around in the shadow of the tree. When Sam and Sophia were too tired to play catch anymore or to sail Sam’s boat. They went home.

 

As they reached the apartment building Carol handed Sophia the keys and she and Sam walked ahead of the others, still talking and laughing excitedly about how much fun they had had.

 

“You did that” Carol said, looking at her kids.

 

“Nah”

 

“If you hadn’t fixed that boat, he would have been grumpy for a month”

 

Daryl just glanced at her as they climbed the stairs. “I had fun” he muttered as they got to his door.

 

She looked at him, smiling a bit. It wouldn’t have been hard to imagine that he would feel awkward around her kids, but if he had fun, he hadn’t found it awkward and it sure hadn’t seemed that way. He seemed comfortable around them, when they weren’t hugging him of course.   
“Good .. So did I” She figured that she didn’t have to say that Sam and Sophia did too.

 

Standing in front of his door, Carol felt like she ought to say something. But as always she couldn’t think of anything. Nothing that wouldn’t let him know that she cared far more than she should. Which was the exact thing she didn’t want to tell him.

 

“See you tomorrow morning?” she ended up asking, when she couldn’t think of anything else.

 

He hummed an affirmative noise and nodded, watching her as she smiled at him and walked away.

 


	5. The sky came crashing down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He watched her walk away; he had almost made a habit of that. They always came to his door first and for some reason he stayed there, instead of walking her to her door, like he probably should.  
> The slight sway of her hips when she walked, grabbed a hold of his eyes and refused to let go. At least until she reached her own apartment, where there was a chance that she might look back at him, then he turned to his own door. Pretending that he had a bit of trouble with his key and that was why he hadn’t gone in yet.

 

He watched her walk away; he had almost made a habit of that. They always came to his door first and for some reason he stayed there, instead of walking her to her door, like he probably should.    
The slight sway of her hips when she walked, grabbed a hold of his eyes and refused to let go. At least until she reached her own apartment, where there was a chance that she might look back at him, then he turned to his own door. Pretending that he had a bit of trouble with his key and that was why he hadn’t gone in yet.

 

With the door closed safely behind him, he leaned against it, going over the day in his head. Her smile, it was always her smile he remembered first when he thought of her. How it lit up her entire face, even her eyes.

 

But she confused him. Just a week ago he hadn’t known her and now he was so .. He had gotten up at 7, on a Sunday, just to get fresh oranges from the farmer’s marked so he could make her fresh juice and see that hint of a smile on her lips every time she took a sip of it. Knowing that he had put that smile there. It was so stupid! She was just being neighborly and he was acting like it was a first date or something. Carol had basically forgotten their agreement, or she had at least not been up at dawn like he had.  
He hadn’t thought much about it at the time, too distracted by her bed-hair and the sleepy look she had still had on her face. Not to mention that he’d been embarrassed about waking her up like that.

 

The day in the park had kept his thoughts occupied. It was just now that he got back, that he thought about how she might actually have forgotten their agreement. Could he blame her for it? It had been late, almost early, when she had suggested it. Maybe she had just slept through her alarm or something. Daryl was normally a master at finding arguments for people not liking him, Carol had given him more than enough arguments for the opposite, that she liked him. But it was an old habit, hard to break.

 

He even liked her kids, hell, how often did that happen?  
Sophia was.. a force to be reckoned with. When he first met her, Daryl had thought that he would find her annoying if he ever had to spend time with her. She talked a lot or at least she did compared to Sam. But he didn’t find it annoying, which surprised him.

 

Sam on the other hand, Sam scared him. It was a bit too much like looking into a mirror when he looked at him. Carol hadn’t told him all of his story, but she didn’t need to. He could recognize the look of mistrust on the boy’s face and with the few things, she had told him, plus the fact that he was adopted: It didn’t take a genius to connect the dots.  
His dad was a violent man, just like Daryl’s own dad had been. He remembered being that age, his mom had just died, Merle was in juvy, so his dad pounded on him instead.

 

Daryl had his own problems with trusting people, still did, because he hadn’t had any reason to trust anyone. Sam was lucky, he had Carol and she cared about him, it was so obvious. The way she had looked at him, when he helped that boy fix his boat. Like it meant the world to her. Daryl couldn’t imagine what she had been through, for something as simple as that, to make her look at him like that. He knew there was more to her, than what she was telling him, but he didn’t want to ask, as he didn’t have the right and it felt like she didn’t want to talk about it.

 

After having surfed through TV channels for 4 hours or so, he went to bed. Scolding himself for thinking about her, until he fell asleep. She deserved better than that, hell, she deserved better than him. But he knew he wouldn’t be able to stay away from her. There was something about her that felt.. right. Maybe it was just the fact that her kids liked him and they liked having him around. He hadn’t had a family since his mom died and to have just the slightest chance that that gleam of hope might last- meant the world to him. He couldn’t stay away. He didn’t want to.

 

\-----

 

The next morning he was already standing outside his door, when Carol made it out hers. He wouldn’t admit as to just how long he had been standing there, but it would definitely make him late for work.

 

“You’re late” he muttered, while she was still closing the door behind her, making her jump slightly before she turned towards him. Daryl’s lips twitched a bit at that, he hadn’t meant to make her jump, but it did look comical.

 

“You waited?” she asked surprised and pulled her bag longer up on her shoulder.

 

For a moment, he considered telling her the truth; that he wanted to see her, before he went to work. But he didn’t, instead he just watched her as she walked towards him and turned to walk alongside her, when she reached him. “You work in a bookstore, right?”

 

Carol nodded, glancing in his direction as they walked down the stairs.

 

Sophia had already told him that, she had told him a lot of things, without him even having to ask. “You like working there?” The question wasn’t loaded, like he was making fun on her or belittling her job. He was just making small talk and he genuinely wanted to know.

 

“I do” She glanced at him again, a slight smile on her lips.

 

Daryl nodded slightly as they walked out the front door and around the building. He tried to come up with something else to say, but wasn’t successful. It didn’t matter much, he liked the silence, that they didn’t have to talk all the time. With most people silence was awkward, but not with Carol. It was like they just both accepted that the silence was okay and that made it not awkward.  
Their steps were in sync as they headed across the parking lot, just walking side by side. It was simple and he liked that.

 

“Have a .. Good day” He muttered when they reached her car and he kept heading for his bike. “Or something” he added even lower, wishing he had the guts to say it in a more confident tone.

 

“You too” She called after him, making him turn, to find her looking after him, smiling. It felt like someone pinched him in the stomach when she smiled at him, but in a good way. God.. He wanted to do something, to tell her something. But he couldn’t, because he couldn’t think of anything and also because he didn’t want to ruin whatever this was. It would make it awkward and ruin everything. Besides, he’d never been good at talking, even worse so, when the subject was his feelings. No, better to just shut up and keep things simple.

 

He nodded a few times, a slight smile pulling in the corner of his mouth as he made it to his bike.

 

\------ 

 

Work was .. work. Fixing cars, sometimes bikes. That day it had been a couple of Toyotas and a Honda. Boring really, he could fix those in his sleep. There was no challenge in it. He knew he was a good worker, steady, but not a very social one. There were only two other people at the garage where he worked. The boss, and a guy who was younger than him, not much more than a teenager. They had nothing in common so Daryl didn’t really have anything to talk to him about.

 

He got home before Carol, he usually did, but he could hear the kids in her apartment. They would have to be going crazy, being cooped up in that apartment all summer. No wonder they loved a trip to the park so much. There was still a month until schools started up again. Maybe he should take them somewhere someday, maybe he could take a day off or something. He hadn’t taken any days off in months.  


Locking himself inside his apartment, he started going through his mail, freezing as he came to a certain letter. Georgia State Prison. There was no mistaking that return address. Daryl could literally feel all the blood draining from his face. Getting a letter from jail was rarely a good thing.

 

He had just put down his keys, but now he picked them up again and made his way out the door. As soon as it slammed shut behind him, he stopped, looking towards Carol’s apartment. He could talk to her about it, he wanted to. If it hadn’t involved telling her all about his criminal brother and his whole mess of a past. He just didn’t want to bring her into that, she had enough on her plate without having to deal with him as well.

 

So instead he turned and walked out of the building again, across the street and down it, the opposite direction of the park.  
Daryl tried not to go to the bar too often, drinking himself unconscious was not a wise thing to do. But he did go there from time to time, when he felt too cooped up in his own apartment.

 

He placed the letter on the counter before he sat down, just starring at it, until she showed up.

 

“What’s that?” Michonne asked.

 

He didn’t reply, but just held up the letter so she could read the return address.

 

“Merle?”

 

He nodded, chewing the inside of his cheek nervously. There was only so many things a letter like that could be about. He could have be let out early, but Daryl didn’t believe that for a second. He could have been allowed out, if someone paid a crazy amount of money as bail. That might be it, but Daryl had no money, so he could fucking forget that. He was the one who had gotten himself into trouble, he could fucking do the time.  
The last thing he could think of was that he had somehow gotten hurt or worse. But wouldn’t it be a phone call rather than a letter? Seemed really insensitive if that was how they dealt with deaths.

 

Michonne poured him a scotch, putting it next to him. She looked at him, waiting.  
Daryl took a bit of a breath and picked up the envelope. Fearing the worst, he cut it open with a finger. Straightening out the paper, his eyes slid across the paper, catching words as; ‘early release’ and ‘expected address’.

 

“He’s getting out early” He said, eyes still on the letter. “And he’s told them he’s gonna stay with me” He looked up at Michonne. She had been around the last time Merle had been in Atlanta, it hadn’t always been good times. Therefor she would be able to understand how Daryl felt about having his brother stay with him. He’d do it of course, Merle was his brother and the only family he had. But he knew how it would go. Sooner or later they’d get in a fight and it would end badly, it always did.

 

“You’re gonna let him?”

 

“Don’t have much of a choice – he’s my brother”

 

“There’s always a choice,” She said before walking away.

 

But to Daryl, there wasn’t much of a choice. One of his best traits was his loyalty. He didn’t know this of course, but it was. Merle was the only family he had left, and who knew, maybe prison had changed him. Although he doubted that a man like Merle would ever improve in prison.

 

It was drugs that had gotten him put away. Not that it was the first time. He sold them and used them too, not all the time though. Daryl was sure that he could have quit the habit if he really wanted to. Of course they had been living apart back then, so Daryl really didn’t know how far his drug abuse went. Hopefully prison had stopped that, if it had been that bad.

 

Daryl groaned a bit, running a hand through his hair, before throwing back the drink in one gulp. Of course he would help his brother, but that didn’t mean he had to be happy about it. He liked how things were right now, having Merle barge in on that, would just mess it all up.  
Carol would find out about his past and she’d never let him anywhere near her kids again. Or her for that matter.

 

Had she not been around, he would have been more inclined to help him. They weren’t even .. anything. But even that, he would hate if Merle got in the way off. He could already see himself punching Merle across the jaw for making some asshole comment about her. Merle would be able to connect the dots within minutes and he’d never hear the end of it.

 

After a few hours of knocking back whiskey, Daryl finally decided to go home, when the bar started filling up with the usual drunks, which meant that Michonne wouldn’t have time to discuss whether or not he should let Merle live at his place for a while. Daryl knew it wouldn’t matter much what she said. Where else would he go? He had to help him, if for nothing else, than for the fact that he was his brother.

 

Daryl was a man who could hold his liquor, many years of training did that. But he still swayed a little back and forth as he headed up the stairs of the apartment building. He heard voices, not in his head, he wasn’t that drunk. But voices from the floor above him, the one he was heading to. He came to a halt when he heard that one of the voices was Carol’s.

 

She laughed and he smiled as he leaned against the banister. He liked that sound. He stood there for a while just listening to her talking. Not exactly listening to what she said, but just the tone of her voice. She sounded happy, flirtatious even. Like she had yesterday, when she slapped his shoulder.

 

It wasn’t until a male voice laughed, that he actually started paying attention to the other half of that conversation. There were only 4 apartments on their floor, and that voice was definitely 2C’s. Daryl had noticed him, but never bothered to talk to him. It wasn’t like it was with Carol, he just never seemed to run into him, like he did with her.

 

“Well you don’t look like you need a workout” He heard her say.

 

Furrowing his brow, Daryl pushed away from the banister and made his way up the rest of the stairs. The ruffling of his feet against the stairs drowned out his reply. But when he got up the last set of stairs, where he could actually see them, he did not like what he saw. Who cared what 2C said anyway.

 

Cause there was Carol, standing in the doorway of 2C’s apartment, with her hand on his arm, like she was feeling his muscles. Worst of all, she had that smile on her face. The one that was usually pointed at him and made his stomach jump. At least he thought that it was a smile she only used with him. Apparently not. Of course not! Feeling his heart first sink and then himself grow angry with both her and this 2C guy, Daryl headed down the hallway. Hating the fact that he had to pass the two of them, to get to his own apartment. How could he have been so stupid, to think that she would actually see a guy like himself as more than just her neighbor? 2C was probably much more her type with that clean-shaven face, curly hair and that stupid charismatic smile. Daryl had never as much as said hello to the guy, but he had already decided that he hated him. Just for looking like that.

 

He passed them in silence. Daryl even ignored her cheery ‘hi Daryl’. At that moment he was glad of his long hair hanging in front of his face. It meant that he could walk past them and she didn’t have to see that he looked pissed, in more than one sense of the word.

 

He locked himself into his apartment as quickly as he could, swaying on his feet. He could hear her steps approaching him from behind, but he didn’t want to talk to her. Not now. So as soon as the door opened, he slipped inside and closed the door again, so violently that he basically slammed it in her face. He felt bad about that, and then again, he didn’t really… It was like he thought, she was just being nice and he was the fool who had thought it meant more. Right now, he just didn’t know how to handle that. He’d rather slam the door in her face than talk to her.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what did you think of this point of view?? Was it okay? 
> 
> I have in mind to write other chapters from his point of view, but if you absolutely hated it, I won't do that. So please let me know ^^


	6. Yell or Confess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> By Friday Daryl still hadn’t seen Carol since Monday night. It was on purpose of course, Daryl didn’t want to see her, because he didn’t know what to say to her. He couldn’t explain why he had slammed the door in her face that night, or why he hadn’t answered it when any of them had come knocking at his door. Part of him knew that when he came face to face with her again, which he would sooner or later, he would either yell at her or confess. He didn’t know which would be worse.

 

You would think that sleeping on a thing like that would help. But it didn’t. Neither did sleeping on it 4 times.

 

By Friday Daryl still hadn’t seen Carol since Monday night. It was on purpose of course, Daryl didn’t want to see her, because he didn’t know what to say to her. He couldn’t explain why he had slammed the door in her face that night, or why he hadn’t answered it when any of them had come knocking at his door. Part of him knew that when he came face to face with her again, which he would sooner or later, he would either yell at her or confess. He didn’t know which would be worse.

 

Managing once again to sneak out of the apartment building, unseen, Daryl went back to The Katana. Not to see Michonne, but just to drink this time. She was probably the closest thing he had to a friend, but he couldn’t even talk to her. He’d never been god at talking. Not about this kind of thing anyway.

 

He went for beer this time, as he wasn’t planning on going home again anytime soon. The bar was already filled more or less, as it always was on Friday nights. But Daryl ignored them, their chatter, and the music. The many guests kept Michonne busy, which left Daryl alone with his thoughts.

 

Like how Sam and Sophia had come knocking on his door. He had heard them talking in hushed tones on the other side of it, wondering why he didn’t open the door. It had felt like a kick in the gut, they wouldn’t understand what was going on. Neither would Carol, but at least she didn’t .. talk about it where he could hear it. She had come by his door too, though. One evening, he guessed it was after Sam and Sophia had gone to bed. She hadn’t said anything, just knocked softly, but he could tell that it was her anyway. Who else would come by at that time of night? She stood out there for quite a while, he knew that because he had been right on the other side of it, staring at the door as if he might be able to see through it, if he just stared at it hard enough. He wanted to see her, of course he did, he just didn’t know what to say. Daryl reminded himself that she’d probably head for 2C’s door when she left his and that somehow made him feel better. Like what he was doing was right.

 

“Still worried about Merle?” Michonne asked, when things seemed to quiet down for a moment.

 

“Nah” He replied with a shrug. Daryl had already confirmed with the prison that Merle would be staying with him. There wasn’t much of a choice in that. Merle was his brother and he would have done the same for him. Although Daryl had never been to prison, he knew that he would.

 

She poured him a scotch, even though he didn’t ask for it. She would know that that stuff usually got him talking.

 

Daryl just looked at it for a while, considering whether or not he should drink it. In the end he did take it, of course he did.

 

“What’s on your mind?” She asked, leaning in over the counter.

 

He just shrugged again, knocking back the scotch. “Doesn’t matter”

 

Michonne just looked at him with that blank stare, he was pretty sure was meant to imitate his own, until she was called away by some other costumers.

 

It didn’t matter. Carol would move on eventually, so would her kids. She’d keep flirting with 2C, he was more her type anyway. Merle would move in with him and then she definitely wouldn’t want anything to do with him. He’d move on too.. eventually.

 

After drinking a few more glasses of scotch and having been on the receiving end of more of Michonne’s stares, but not saying anything, he went home. Swaying back and forth all the way, he made it back to his door, where he stopped.

 

He couldn’t tell if it was music or a movie that he could hear from her apartment. It was only because he was listening for it, that he heard it at all. Sam and Sophia were probably asleep by now. The thought that he could just go over there and knock on her door and she’d be right there, was a very tempting one. He could lie and say that he had been sick and didn’t want to pass it onto her and that was why he hadn’t talked to her or her kids. They could go right back to how things had been. Then again, she’d probably see right through that story.

 

But he wouldn’t be able to just shove aside, the way she made his heartrate quicken, or made him feel like there was a spot for him, there in her family. That would remain the same, even though he now knew it was a lie. He’d still feel it, but instead of that making him feel happy, it would hurt. Knowing that he might feel connected to her, but that he really wasn’t. It would be far easier to stay away from them. Not easy, but easier than facing that.

 

He caught himself actually taking a few steps in the direction of her door. But then he somehow convinced himself to turn around and go into his own apartment.

 

\-------

 

Late Saturday morning, there was a knock at the door, while Daryl was watching some TV thing about truckers. He was still slightly hungover from the night before, but nothing too serious.

 

“Daryl” There was another knock. She sounded concerned, he hated that.

 

He thought that she would give up and go away, like she had the other time and like her kids had. But she was the first one to actually notice that his door wasn’t locked when he was home. Smart, of course she would be the one to try that.

 

“Daryl?” She asked, stepping inside carefully, looking around the apartment until she came past the couch, where he was lying. Carol looked at him, folding her arms across her chest. She didn’t look mad, just concerned. Making Daryl feel guilty for making her worry, when he was just being an ass to her and her kids.

 

“You found me” He murmured, fiddling with his hands in front of him, finding it hard to meet her eyes.

 

She watched him for a few moments, before sitting down on the armrest at the other end of the couch. “Haven’t seen you all week”

 

“Saw me Monday” he muttered back, still not looking at her.

 

“But not since then.. You okay?”

 

“I’m fine” He turned his head to look at the TV, although he didn’t really grasp any of the images or what went on in the show. His senses were all too alert to the fact that she was sitting so close to him. It wouldn’t take much to reach out and touch her, it only reminded him of how much he had to fight against it. As much as he might feel like forgetting his own feelings, so he wouldn’t hurt hers, he knew he shouldn’t. It wouldn’t be right to do that to her either.  

 

Carol pretended to be watching the TV too, but when he glanced at her, he could tell that she was thinking. Possibly of what to say next. He hated that he was such a pain to her, she should just leave him alone and keep on flirting with the guy in 2C.  
A long time passed in silence, but for the first time it wasn’t pleasant. He could tell it wasn’t for her either, her eyes flickered around his apartment and she kept shifting in her seat, but it was probably quite uncomfortable sitting there.

 

“Look I get if Sunday was a bit much and you don’t want to be around my kids all the time but-“

 

“It ain’t that” He interrupted her “Ain’t nothing wrong with your kids.”

 

“Then why are you acting like you don’t want to spend time with them” She didn’t even mention herself, hadn’t she noticed that he had been avoiding her too?

 

Daryl sat up in the couch, swinging his legs over the side. He didn’t reply, just shrugged, looking at the floor.

 

“If you don’t want to spend time with them, I’d appreciate it if you just told me. But just cutting them off like this isn’t fair” She sounded like she was about to be angry with him, which she should be, he didn’t like what he was doing. But all he could do was tell himself that it would have been worse, if he had kept spending time with them and this had happened further down the line.

 

“Dammit it’s not about the kids, so just leave them out of this!” He got up and turned his back to her.

 

“So you admit there is something wrong” He heard her get up. “So.. what is it?” Her voice was firm, still not angry, at least not as angry as his had been.

 

“None of your business” He said more calmly, still having his back towards her.

 

She stepped towards him and grabbed his arm, turning him to face her, all quite quickly. “When it’s affecting my kids, it’s very much my business!” She snapped, suddenly standing very close to him.

 

“Stop it! It’s none of your business and stop being right in my face all the time!” He snapped back at her, taking a step towards her.

 

“What’s the matter with you? Why are you being like this?!”

 

“Nothing’s wrong – This is me – This! Not the nice guy you have some twisted picture of in your mind. I’m not that guy!” He yelled at her, feeling his blood boil as he just wished she would have stayed away. But it was the truth. She had thanked him so many times for the small things he had done for her and her kids, and he couldn’t help but feel like he didn’t deserve it. He wasn’t that nice guy she thought he was. Never had been, never would be.

 

Carol just blinked at him, furrowing her brow at him, as if she didn’t believe him.

 

“I swear, get drunk, get into fights, I yell at people on a regular basis, and I don’t have friends! You don’t know me! If you did, you sure as hell wouldn’t let your kids be around me unsupervised!” He gestured violently with his hands, but stayed where he was.

 

She looked back at him with a stare that said that this wasn’t the first time a grown man had yelled at her. But at the same time he could see something shift in her eyes. “No, you're not”

 

“Yes I am, ain’t shit you can do about it either!”

 

She looked him straight in the eyes for a moment. He just starred right back, his jaw tightly clenched. “Fine” She said dryly, turned, and headed towards the door. “We won’t bother you again. Since you clearly don’t want that” Carol walked right out of his apartment, slamming the door. Leaving Daryl feeling like a complete asshole and more alone and empty than he had for the past two weeks. 

 

He stood for a moment, just breathing, before he collapsed back onto the couch.

 

Yeah … confessing would have been better.


	7. Misunderstandings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was no way that Carol had seen that coming. No way. Feeling quite shaken, Carol walked back to her own apartment, leaning against the door, when it closed behind her. There she took a few moments to just calm herself.

 

There was no way that Carol had seen that coming. No way. Feeling quite shaken, Carol walked back to her own apartment, leaning against the door, when it closed behind her. There she took a few moments to just calm herself.

 

The past 5 days had been so confusing. First he didn’t talk to her and slammed his door in her face, then he ignored Sam and Sophia, later herself too. Then to top it all off he had nearly bit her head off when she tried to talk to him.  
But one thing had become clear, it was not about her kids, it was about her. And not in a good way.

 

Her kids hadn’t been too much, the trip to the park hadn’t been too much, _she_ had been too much.

 

_”Stop being right in my face all the time!”_

 

He was basically telling her to back the hell off and she was planning on doing just that. But there was no denying that his words stung, badly.

 

Had she been alone, Carol might have allowed herself to really analyze every detail of it, but she wasn’t Sam and Sophia were there, awake and hoping to get out of their apartment, now that she had the day off.  
They went out and got some curtains in a store that Carol knew had special offers that weekend.

 

Once Sam and Sophia had run ahead to look at.. everything. Carol seized the opportunity to pull out her phone and send Andrea a quick text:

 

_‘Can I call you tonight?’_

 

_‘Sure.. You okay?’_

 

_‘Not really’_

 

_‘Want me to stop by?’_

 

_‘No.. Just be available tonight’_

 

_‘Okay’_

 

Knowing that there would be a chance to vent about it later, made it a bit easier to pretend that she was fine, in front of Sam and Sophia. They didn’t need to know that she was sad or why she was. Daryl was a decent man, she still believed that, despite of what he had said. And he had had a connection with Sam, she didn’t want to ruin that for him, even if it meant keeping her distance to Daryl.  

 

So she put on a brave face, one that she was all too familiar with, and went to find Sam and Sophia to find curtains for their rooms as well as her own.  
They found what they needed to hang them up and some nice fabrics. It was cheaper that way, if she sewed them herself.

 

When they got back home, Carol busied herself with sewing as Sophia and Sam went outside to kick Sophia’s football back and forth on the parking lot.  
Carol was determined not to think of the fight before Sophia and Sam were asleep, but when she was left alone in the apartment, the thoughts came anyway.

 

She had thought that it was the trip to the park that had been too much for him, and that was why he had pulled away from them, wanting to be left alone. He had seemed happy enough at the time, although his stern exterior could make it hard to read him, she had thought that he had enjoyed himself, like he said he had.  
Turned out that wasn’t it. In a way it made her glad that it wasn’t because of Sophia and Sam. It would have seemed like a good reason to pull away from them. She knew Sophia could be a bit much and Sam was a boy very few people understood.  
The fact that it made her almost happy that she was the problem and not them, said quite a bit about her as a mother, but also quite a bit about her level of self-esteem.

 

Daryl had tried to convince her that he wasn’t the guy she thought he was. But even now she didn’t believe him. No matter what he said, her gut feeling still told her that he was a good man. A bit of a rough diamond and he clearly had some troubles in his past, but so did she. And she couldn’t hold that against him, she didn’t want to. All she would judge him on was how he had treated her and her kids, in the time she had known him. And even though he had slammed a door in her face and yelled at her, she still liked him. That might just be her being stupid like a lovesick teenager, but she knew there was more to him than what he tried to convince her of.

 

The rest of the day passed more or less in silence. Sam and Sophia exchanged looks during dinner, like they knew something was going on, but didn’t want to say anything about it. Afterwards they watched TV until it was their bedtime.  
When they were down for the night, Carol got herself a big bowlful of the ice cream she had hid in the freezer for a special occasion. Now was as good a time as any.

 

Having gotten comfortable in the couch, she dialed Andrea’s number and waited patiently for her to pick up.

 

“So.. What’s up?” Andrea asked instead of saying hello, like a normal person.

 

“I .. sorta had a fight.. with Daryl”

 

“A fight? How? What? - never mind.. Start from the beginning”

 

Carol swallowed a spoonful of ice cream, before she started. “Well I went over to him, to talk to him about why he wasn’t answering his door and all that.. “

 

“And?”

 

“I don’t know.. I tried to find out what was going on and it just turned into a fight. He told me to leave him alone and that he wasn’t the guy I thought he was”

 

“What did you do?”

 

“I left”

 

“You just left?”

 

“Well.. I yelled at him, then I left” Carol groaned, running a hand over her face. She really hadn’t handled it well at all.

 

Andrea giggled a bit, sounding all too much like this was just entertainment to her.

 

“It’s not funny”

 

“But it is sweetie.. You’ve got a crush on this guy”

 

“Maybe.. but that’s never gonna happen now”

 

“You need to talk to him”

 

“He doesn’t want to see me. Why would he want to talk to me?”

 

“Well what were you going to do about it?”

 

“Stay away, like he wants me to”

 

“You can’t give up that easily Carol.. Maybe he just need a push”

 

“I’ve already pushed him far enough.. Enough to make him snap at me”

 

 

The knock at her door was soft. Had she had the TV or some music on, she would probably have missed it. But the apartment was silent.

 

“Hold on.. Somebody’s at the door,” she told Andrea

 

Carol put her ice cream down on the table in front of the couch and got up, slowly going to the door. Looking through the peephole, she saw Daryl standing outside, his head down, so his hair hung in front of his face, making it impossible to read his face. But she could read his body language and this was definitely not the posture of someone who had come to continue the fight from this morning. If anything he looked defeated, shoulders slumped, head down, hands in the pockets of his jeans.

 

“It’s him.. “ She said, clearly hearing the breathless tone in her voice as her heartrate fastened. Being it fear for another fight or for the hope of making up with him.

 

“Well?? Go talk to him” She could practically hear Andrea being on the edge of her seat.

 

Carol turned her back to the door, taking a few steps into the apartment again. “What if ..” She sighed, “What do I even say to him?.. He’s the one who basically asked me to leave him the hell alone”

 

“So you let him do the talking.”

 

“He doesn’t do a lot of that”

 

“Why else would he have come to you?”  

 

Carol worried her lower lip between her teeth as she walked back to look through the peephole. Daryl had taken a few steps back to lean against the wall opposite her door, still standing with his hands in his pockets, like he was ready to wait for her, however long it might take before she came to the door.

 

“Okay.. I’ll call you back later” Carol said quietly, before she hung up she heard a faint “You better”

 

 

When she opened the door, Daryl looked up at her, like he was surprised that she opened the door at all. Pushing away from the wall he just looked at her for a long moment. “Can we talk?”

 

Carol nodded a bit and stepped out in the hallway, closing the door behind her, just in case this turned into another fight, at least it wouldn’t wake up Sam and Sophia if they stayed in the hallway.

 

He was quiet for a long time, all the while keeping his eyes on the floor. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that .. I.. “ He hesitated, again for quite a while. But Carol let him take his time, knowing that hurrying him wouldn’t help anything.

 

“I’m sorry” He said so quiet she almost missed it. Daryl kept his eyes on the floor, not even trying to look at her.

 

She took a step towards him, wanting to reach out to him, but unsure of how he would react to that. Carol wouldn’t want a repeat of this morning’s fight, at any cost. “I was intruding on your personal life. I can understand why you yelled” She wasn’t sure whether it was the step she had taken forward, or her words, but he looked up at her then, his eyes soft as they met hers. “I can keep my distance if you want.. We don’t have to be friends just because we’re neighbors”

 

“No” he retorted quickly, “That’s not.. I don’t want that.. I.. “

 

Carol kept her eyes on him, although now with a slightly confused look. He had said that she was right in his face all the time. If that wasn’t a way of asking her to stay away, she didn’t know what was.

 

His eyes darted around her face, as he stayed quiet, clearly trying to find the right words. But it went on for too long and Carol couldn’t figure out what was taking him so long to figure out. “What?.. Just tell me”

 

Daryl looked at her with a lost look on his face, like he was just about to give up getting out whatever it was he wanted to say, and just walk away. But just as she thought he would turn and leave, instead he took a step forward, making her step back, so she was right up against the door and his body was pressed against hers.

 

That in itself was enough to make her heartrate shoot through the roof. But she didn’t really have enough time to think about it, before his hand moved to curl around her neck and his fingers into her hair. Carol had her eyes glued to his, as hers widened in surprise and slight shock. His on the other hand, searched her face for any look of disapproval. Only for a faction of a second, but it felt like hours, before he leaned in slowly, giving her plenty of time to push him away from her, should she not want what was quite obviously about to happen. Then his lips connected with hers in a kiss so soft it surprised her that she was still able to stand.

 

He didn’t move his lips against hers, like he had expected the kiss to be very short and then she would push him away, so much so that when it didn’t happen he panicked and didn’t know what to do, so he just froze. It wasn’t until Carol lifted her hand to mirror the one he had at her neck, that he seemed to relax and rolled his lips softly against hers, in a very chaste but sweet kiss, leaving Carol wanting so much more, when leaned away, only far enough to look at her.

 

Now it was his turn to look confused.

 

Carol’s senses were still going crazy as he had her pinned against the door. Like the rush of a big dip on a rollercoaster, was going through her stomach, even though he had stopped kissing her, she still felt the rush of it. For a long while they just looked at each other, hearts pounding, as they tried to make sense of it all.

 

“This still doesn’t explain why you slammed your door in my face,” She said quietly, unable to help the smile that pulled at the corners of her mouth.

 

She saw his cheeks turn a slight color of pink, before he looked down, avoiding her eyes. “You were flirting with that guy in 2C and I-“

 

“Aaron?” She interrupted, surprised.

 

“Don’t know his name..” he muttered with a shrug.

 

A slight laugh escaped her, until Daryl looked up at her with a sharp look and even redder cheeks, which made her stop. She could tell he would have pulled away from her, if she hadn’t held onto his neck a bit tighter, just at that moment.  
“Daryl.. he’s gay” It made sense now, that he had slammed the door in her face, even if it didn’t make sense that he hadn’t talked to her. She still hadn’t grasped the fact that him kissing her, meant that he felt the same as she did.

 

“What?.. “ His face scrunched up in a disbelieving frown.

 

“I was just messing around.. He’s got a boyfriend, he told me that right before you came up the stairs”

 

His look softened a bit, as he seemed to grasp the situation. “huh..”

 

Carol giggled as she watched him, realizing what had been going on “You were jealous”

 

He narrowed his eyes at her, a small smile resting in the corner of his mouth. “Maybe” he admitted.

 

Carol’s smile grew, “Well ... I’m very flattered” she grinned as he leaned in close again.

 

“Shut up and kiss me” he growled as he partially leaned in, partially pulled her closer. Clearly feeling more confident, he kissed her a bit more boldly than he had before.

 

Carol’s hand crept into his hair as he drew a happy sigh out of her. She slowly started to grasp the meaning of his actions. He had been jealous because he thought she was flirting with someone else. She couldn’t help but smile against the kiss. Carol hadn’t even thought of that possibility, instead she had been so sure that he didn’t like her at all. Maybe her people skills weren’t as good as she thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that'll teach me not to edit things on my phone. - Not sure if anyone noticed, (except for Mel and me) But i tried to edit a typo in this chapter on my phone and somehow that ended up making my phone delete it. Not sure why. But that means that all my lovely comments are gone :( .. That makes me so sad!! 
> 
> But here it is again, so things should go back to normal.


	8. You make me feel so young

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Carol bit her lip and huffed out a chuckle – When had she turned into a teenager again? She couldn’t remember having felt like this since before she married Ed. But he hadn’t excited her nearly as much as Daryl. Or maybe he had, but she had just forgotten by now. It didn’t matter much, Daryl was nothing like Ed, that much she was sure of already.

 

When she woke the next morning, the apartment was still relatively quiet, even though it was after 10 am already. Carol could hear that the TV was on, but beyond that, it seemed very quiet.   
Stretching lazily across her bed, her thoughts went right back to the night before. If she closed her eyes, she could almost still feel his hand at her neck and how his fingers had skimmed ghost-like through the hairline at her neck. Even now just the thought of it sent a shiver down her spine.

 

Carol bit her lip and huffed out a chuckle – When had she turned into a teenager again? She couldn’t remember having felt like this since before she married Ed. But he hadn’t excited her nearly as much as Daryl. Or maybe he had, but she had just forgotten by now. It didn’t matter much, Daryl was nothing like Ed, that much she was sure of already.

 

They hadn’t gone far from her door, after they started kissing. Not that he had taken advantage of her, not more than she had of him, anyway. They hadn’t done more than kissing, if they had continued as they started, they might have. If Aaron hadn’t suddenly come walking in from a night at the movies with his boyfriend, Eric.   
They had almost jumped apart, when they heard them come up the stairs. Then the situation had turned into an introduction between everyone really, except for herself and Aaron, who already knew each other. She did noticed the slightly pink color in Daryl’s cheeks when he was finally, properly introduced to Aaron. Carol still found it funny and flattering that Daryl had been jealous, but she didn’t say anything, so she wouldn’t embarrass him.

 

When Aaron and Eric finally went into 2C, the moment had passed. Instead of just jumping right back into it, Daryl showed himself as the perfect gentleman and walked her to her door. Carol on the other hand, couldn’t resist stealing one last kiss, before she went back into her apartment.

 

And now she was in her bed, wondering how long it would be before she saw him again. Not too long, she hoped.

 

\------

 

After having cereal in front of the TV with Sophia and Sam and having a shower. Carol decided that she would put up the curtains she had made the day before.

 

Starting in her own room, Carol soon found out that it was a whole lot harder to put them up, than she had thought it would be. She had started in her own bedroom, so that once she got to Sophia and Sam’s rooms, she might have gotten the hang of it and it wouldn’t look as bad as it would in her own room.   
Carol was trying to calculate how far from the window she was supposed to hang them, for it to look right, when Sophia came into the room and flopped down on the mattress on the floor, that was Carol’s bed.

 

“You seem happier today” Sophia observed, looking up at her, from the floor.

 

“Huh?” Carol turned to look at her, curtains completely forgotten, for now.

 

“You were so quiet yesterday, but not today” Her big brown eyes looked up at her, without any sort of doubt. Sometimes she made Carol wonder where she got all that confidence from.

 

“We heard you and Mr Dixon, you know” Sophia added, when Carol just looked at her.

 

“You did?” Carol asked surprised as she sat down on the mattress as well.

 

Sophia just nodded, but this time a flash of sadness shot across her face, reminding Carol of the many times Sophia had been witness to her parents fighting, fights that never ended with Carol walking out, but more often than not with her getting a fist shoved in her face.

 

“It’s not like that Sweetie, I promise” Carol said softly and pulled Sophia into a warm hug like she was 5 and not the 13 years she actually was. Kissing the top of her head, she tried to imagine the things that might be going through her daughter’s head.

 

“Why were you fighting?” She asked softly, her head still buried in the embrace.

 

“I wanted to know why he did open the door for you and Sam and.. Well, he’s a very private person, so he got a bit upset.” She explained quietly, before pulling away from Sophia so she could make Sophia look at her. “But he didn’t touch me.. you know I wouldn’t get into anything like that again.. right?”

 

Sophia looked at her for a long moment, before nodding.

 

“I’d never .. I couldn’t do that to you or Sam”

 

“I know mom.. But did you make up then? Since you’re not sad”

 

Carol nodded lightly, trying to banish the pink color that made its way to her cheeks. “We did.. He apologized for yelling at me. He’s not like your dad.. “

 

Sophia looked uncomfortable talking about her dad like that, not the fact that they were talking about him in a negative tone, but just the fact that they were talking about him.   
“I like him” She said quietly. “Or.. I did.” She looked at Carol.

 

“I like him too.. He’s a good man, I’m sure of it” Sophia looked a bit more sure of herself when Carol said that and she smiled a bit again.

 

“You need a hand with that?” She asked instead, gesturing to the window.

 

“I need somebody who’s tall.. And with skills at hanging up curtains”

 

“Not a clone of yourself then?” Sophia grinned teasingly.

 

“Cheeky are we?” Carol grinned, poking Sophia at her side. She wiggled and tried to get away, but Carol grabbed her in time and pinned her to the mattress as she tickled her.

 

“Noo! Not fair! Let go! Mom!!” Sophia squealed and laughed, as Carol tickled her sides. “Sam!! Help!”

 

All Carol had the chance of hearing was running footsteps, before Sam’s hands were at her side, tickling her, so she had to let go of Sophia and try to fight off Sam instead. Of course this just gave Sophia the chance to come at her too.

 

“Two against one. Not. Fair!” She cried out, in between laughing so hard that she could hardly breathe.

 

After a while of struggling with the both of them and running out of air, Carol knew she was defeated. “I surrender!!” It took a few repeats of it, before Sam and Sophia stopped and they all collapsed on the mattress, laughing.

 

They lay around on the mattress for a while, until they had all caught their breath again.   
Sophia sat up, looking at Sam, “Want to play some soccer?” He nodded eagerly.

 

They both got up and went to the door, Sophia stopped there, looking back. “Did you need help?”

 

Carol shook her head, “I’ll be okay.. but if you could see if Aaron is home and has the time to help, that would be good” Sophia nodded before she turned and went to get their ball.

 

Aaron had offered a few days ago to help out, if Carol needed some help hanging the curtains up. She had told him about it at some random moment and he had offered to help, if she needed it.   
Dragging a chair to the window, Carol got up and tried from there to figure out, how she was going to hang the thing up. It was hard to judge whether or not it was level, when she stood so close to it.

 

She didn’t hear the door open or close, neither did she hear anyone approach. The only thing she heard, was the voice that was suddenly next to her.

 

“Heard you needed a hand”

 

Turning, quite shocked, Carol dropped the curtain and lost her balance on the chair. After a short moment of trying to regain her balance, she stepped off the chair and fell towards the floor. But instead of the feeling of the hard floor meeting her back, she had a soft landing, right into Daryl’s arms.

 

She had her eyes closed tightly, until she realized just where she had landed.

 

“Careful” Daryl chuckled, as he didn’t move to put her down at all.

 

When Carol finally opened her eyes, all she could do was stare at him as she tried to come up with something to say. When she couldn’t, her mouth just hung open a bit as she felt her cheeks getting more and more pink.   
She had hoped that he would put his hands on her, at some point soon again, but this wasn’t exactly what she had had in mind. Not that she was complaining, not in the slightest.   
He held her like she weighed nothing, with one arm securely around her back and one under her legs.

 

“Hi” Was the first coherent word she got out, the stupidity of which only hit her after she had said it.

 

_*Why don’t you just faint and save yourself some dignity?*_

 

But Daryl just looked at her, a smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. “Hey”

 

“How did you sleep?” Carol asked, completely forgotten the way that he was holding her at the moment.

 

He shrugged, unable to completely hide the slight smile on his lips, “Alright” He said, but looked like he might have been kept up by the same thoughts that she had. It didn’t help much that she couldn’t stop staring at his lips. Well either that or his eyes, but it was really unfair as both of them seemed to attract her eyes equally.

 

At least he didn’t seem to mind, since he was looking right back at her. “You can put me down now” Carol said quietly, when she finally regained some brain function.  

 

He put her down gently, letting his arm rest around her waist for a bit longer than what would have been friendly. But since last night, that just made her happy and not afraid to stand as close to him as she did just then.

 

“How did you know to stop by?” She asked when they had just stood, his arm around her and hers on his chest, for a few long moments.

 

“Met Sophia and Sam in the hall” He said quietly, not moving his eyes from hers. “You told them about.. ?” He didn’t finish the sentence, but Carol got the drift of it.

 

“No I .. I just told them we made up.. They heard us fight”

 

“Oh.. “ He looked like he still felt bad about it.

 

“Don’t”

 

He looked at her with a big question mark on his face.

 

“It’s okay.. I’ve already forgiven you, so don’t feel bad about it.. If you hadn’t been jealous, I’d still be admiring you from afar”

 

He huffed out something she was sure was supposed to be a laugh.

 

Carol smiled at him, partly for him being cute, but also because she understood his lack of confidence in himself. It was something that she struggled a lot with herself.   
Putting a hand on his jaw, she stood up on her toes and leaned in, glad to find him meeting her half way, when she went to kiss him.   
The arm he had around her waist, tightened immediately, as their lips met, pulling her closer to him. Being pressed up against him, she felt the pleasant heat of his body and found it quite delightful. Carol couldn’t say why she only noticed this now and not last night. Perhaps she’d just been too much of a mess of emotions to really notice anything but the fact that he was kissing her. Did that really mean that she was less of a mess today, than she had been last night? Maybe, but she still couldn’t pin down one thought as his lips rolled so sinfully against hers, making her weak at the knees. She wrapped her arms around his neck, just to make sure she didn’t fall down, if her knees really did give out on her.

 

His hand moved up over her back, leaving a trail of heat and tingling skin, as it slid up to curl around the curve between her neck and shoulder. Carol clearly felt the subtle brush of his tongue against her lips when –

 

“So this is why you never call me back?”

 

Daryl and Carol jumped apart, Daryl turning red and looking confused back and forth between Carol and this new woman who was suddenly in her apartment.

 

“People need to start knocking, before entering” Carol muttered as her face turned bright red, completely ignoring the confident and smug grin on Andrea’s face.

 

“I assume this is Daryl.. or is there something else you’d like to tell me?” Andrea looked at Carol as she stepped up to shake Daryl’s hand, even though he was quite reluctant to shake hers.

 

“Daryl, this is Andrea .. She used to be my friend, now I’m not so sure” Carol teased, which brought that hint of a smile to Daryl’s face that she had come to be very fond of.

 

“I guess the talk went well then?” Andrea asked, looking between the two of them.

 

Carol and Daryl exchanged a short look, before Carol looked back at her, folding her arms over her chest. “Yeah.. it did” She smiled a bit, not prepared to tell Andrea any more than that. At least not, while Daryl was standing right there. “Daryl was just helping me hang some curtains”

 

“Right.. Curtains” Andrea draw out the words, clearly not believing them.

 

“Shut up” Carol said quietly and turned around to pick up the curtain rail again. But before she could, Daryl reached down for it too.

 

“I’ll do it – don’t want you hurting yourself” he added teasingly.

 

Carol huffed, making sure to make it sound as much as his laughing huff as she could.

 

While Daryl had his back turned to the two of them, Andrea gave her two thumbs up and some other positive gestures, along with mouthing ‘he’s hot’ with her lips.

 

Carol replied by slapping her arm, with the back of her hand. But was unable to completely hide a smile from her face.

 

“Here?” Daryl asked, thankfully not looking back at them.

 

“A bit higher.. There”

 

“Right”

 

Then there was a knock at the door. “See, some people actually do knock” Carol told the two of them, shaking her head with a grin on her face as she headed to answer the door. Behind her she heard Daryl tell Andrea to hand him some tools. Apparently he had brought his toolbox, something she hadn’t even noticed.

 

When she opened the door, Aaron was on the outside, “Hello” He greeted with a smile.

 

“Hi” Carol smiled right back, surprised that so many people were stopping by her apartment.

 

“Eric and I are having a barbeque on the roof tonight and we were wondering if you and the kids would like to join us?”

 

“The roof?” Carol asked surprised, mostly by the fact that she had lived here for two weeks now and not known that you could actually get up onto the roof.

 

Aaron nodded, still smiling “You haven’t been up there yet?”

 

Carol shook her head, “Didn’t know you could get up there”

 

“Oh you should go up there, it’s like a big terrace”

 

“Really?”

 

Aaron just nodded again. “So you’re in”

 

“Definitely – ” She looked to the side as somebody dropped something in her bedroom.  “Would you mind if I bring a few more people?”

 

“No no .. the more the merrier” He smiled again, that kind of smile that made Carol doubt that this man would ever raise his voice to anyone.

 

“Should I bring anything?”

 

“Eh.. A salad, if you could. We have the meat and bread, so we should be all set”

 

“Sounds good – Around 6?”

 

“Yeah that sounds about right”

 

“Looking forward to it”

 

“Okay I’ll see you then” He said and walked away.

 

 

When Carol made it back to the bedroom, the curtains were already hanging on their own.

 

“How’s that?” Daryl asked as she stepped back into the room.

 

“Looks great” She smiled, glad that he had come to help, as she would never had been able to make it hang that straight in the first attempt.

 

“Got anymore?”

 

“Yeah, one in Sam’s room and one in Sophia’s”

 

Daryl nodded and grabbed the chair he had been standing on, heading in the direction of their rooms.

 

“He’s cute!” Andrea murmured in her ear, when Daryl had made it across the apartment. Carol hadn’t even heard her approach, so the sudden closeness of her voice, made her jump.

 

“Cute?” Carol crinkled her nose a bit as she looked at her, it wasn’t exactly the word she would use to describe him, although it did fit some of his actions, like the fact that he had been jealous.

 

Andrea just nodded, “So why did he yell at you?”

 

“He was jealous.. He thought I flirted with my other neighbor”

 

“But you didn’t?”

 

“No.. He’s gay”

 

“Oooh.. That is cute”

 

“I know” Carol snickered.

 

“You two coming?!” Daryl yelled from across the apartment, making Carol spring into action and grab his tools before she headed his way.

 

\------

 

By six o’clock Carol had managed to convince both Daryl and Andrea to come to the barbeque, that evening. Daryl seemed the most against the idea, but eventually gave in, when both Sophia and Sam asked him to join them too.

 

The rooftop really was like a big terrace of some kind. There were raised flowerbeds spread around the roof, some with flowers and some with herbs and vegetables, lots of all kinds of chairs, tables, parasols, grills and whatnot spread around on the rooftop.

 

The dinner was very fun for all of them, Carol even caught Daryl smiling once or twice. He and Aaron seemed to be getting along well at the grill, when they were preparing the food. It made Carol glad to see, that Daryl was recovering from the misunderstanding that had been between them, even though Aaron was still clueless about all that.

 

Even once they had finished eating, they all stayed up there, just sitting around, talking. It wasn’t until the sun started to set and Carol had sent Sophia and Sam to bed, that they started to clean up. When Carol had carried down the last of their dirty plates, she came back up there to find Andrea, still up there drinking her beer.

 

“Aren’t you ever going home?” Carol asked with a smile, picking up her own beer that wasn’t quite empty yet either.

 

“You trying to get rid of me?”

 

“Never” she grinned, stepping up to her.

 

There was a moment of silence, where they looked at the setting sun. “He really likes you”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Daryl.. Don’t you see the way he looks at you?”

 

“Only when I’m looking at him” Carol smiled back at her, feeling like her cheeks were heating up a bit.

 

“I’m happy for you.. really really happy”

 

“I think it’s a bit early for all that.. It’s only been a day Andrea”

 

“I know.. but still, I haven’t ever seen you this radiant.. You look at him in the same way he looks at you, you know”

 

Carol looked at her, surprised. “I didn’t, actually.. I didn’t think it was that obvious”

 

“Well it is.. Sorry honey”

 

“Do you think Sophia knows?” She asked, obviously worrying about it.

 

“I think she knows something’s going on, but maybe not what’s going on”

 

“Oh god.. I just.. don’t want to get their hopes up, you know”

 

“Sweetie..” Andrea wrapped an arm around her shoulder, “They’d just be happy for you”

 

“I know.. I just..”

 

“I know.. “ Andrea rested her head on Carol’s as they watched the sun disappear behind the horizon.

 

They stood in silence for a long while, until the door to the roof opened and shut behind them and they both turned to see Daryl coming towards them.

 

“That’s my cue.. I should go home” She leaned in to give Carol a tight hug, “Call me, okay – And I mean it this time”

 

“I will, promise” Carol smiled at Andrea as she walked away.

 

When she was gone, Daryl stepped up next to Carol, just looking at her. She felt like reaching out and put her arms around him, but settled for just looking back at him, glad that the silence between them wasn’t awkward in any way.

“I can’t remember the last time I had such a good day” Carol smiled softly at him. That was the truth, the last place they lived, Carol had only really gotten along with Sam’s mother. So this thing with having so many friends around her, was a whole new experience.

 

Daryl just mirrored her soft smile, although his made her melt much more than her own did. “Thanks for helping with the curtains”

 

“That’s the third time you’ve said that”

 

“I know” Carol just smiled, looking at him.

 

He looked like he didn’t really know what to reply to that.

 

“I should get to bed.. Work tomorrow and all that”

 

“Yeah..”

 

They turned around and walked down to their floor.

 

“Thanks again” She said, once they were at her door.

 

“Stop..”

 

“Make me” She challenged him

 

Daryl raised a brow in surprise, but didn’t miss the chance to lean in and quickly grab her lips with his. There was a slight confidence now, in the way his hand rested around her neck, holding her close as his lips rolled against hers.   
The brush of his tongue against her lips came around again, but this time no one was around to interrupt them, so she slowly opened up to him. Her heart was beating in an alarming rate as she felt like she was moving into new territory, French kissing wasn’t exactly a thing she had done a lot in the past 5 years.

 

But he took it slow, like he wasn’t used to things like this either. They stood like that for a long while, like two teenagers, snogging in the hallway. There was no rush, as they took their time, exploring each other, each flick of the tongue like a caress against the other.

 

When they finally came apart, they were both flushed and just staring at the other.

 

“I should get to bed“ Carol repeated, more to get herself to move, rather than him.

 

He nodded and she pressed her lips to his, lightly, one last time, before she backed up against her door, thereby stepping out of his embrace. “Night”

 

“Night” He said, staying put, looking after her as she went into her own apartment.

 

No need to say it wasn’t easy falling asleep that night either.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might be a while before I get around to posting again. I'm going to Spain with school, next week and then exam's coming around, so that might stress me out. Might not, but just warning you all :) .. 
> 
> And if some of you are wondering where your comments from the previous chapter have gone - I accidentally deleted it and with it all the comments :( ! .. Sorry about that.


	9. First date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They headed out of town. South, she would guess, but she wasn’t sure. As Daryl just kept driving, Carol found herself wondering just what he had in mind. It was a gorgeous day, so maybe something outdoors? She didn’t know if he was a guy who liked to spend time outdoors or not, but maybe she was about to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter of fluff for you all ^^ 
> 
> I wanted to get this up before I go away for next week, so forgive me for typos and for the slightly hurried ending. I have to be up in 5 hours so.. 
> 
> But I hope you all like this :)

 

All of the following week was as busy as her work had ever gotten. Dale had been at some market where he had found an old trunk filled with antique books. But the problem was, they didn’t have any room for all of them. So Dale had decided that they should clear out some of the books. Take out the ones that they had more than one copy of, or the ones that were more or less unknown and put them in storage. Dale already had a storage room, where he and his wife had stored some of the things that were meant to go to their kids, but that their kids didn’t want yet. They had moved to a smaller place, after their kids all moved out, so they didn’t have room for everything. Dale was planning to put the overflow of books there.

 

But not only did this mean a major sorting job, but they also needed to catalogue all the books they had. Just so that, if somebody would eventually want one of the books they had in storage, they would be able to know that they had it. It would take all week to do and Dale had asked that they got it done in that week. The mess of it, would scare away the costumers, he claimed. Dale had let Carol take a lot of time off in the time she had worked there, whenever Sam needed her or there was a school meeting or something like it. She couldn’t tell him no, when he asked something of her. She would be paid overtime, so she wouldn’t complain, she needed the money. But it did mean that she would be home later than normally every day that week and most likely be exhausted when she finally did make it home.

 

By Thursday night, Carol was so exhausted, that she really couldn’t see how she would ever make it to Friday night. They were working later than they had thought they would. But if they were going to finish all this by tomorrow, they would still have to work at least a few hours yet. Dale and herself had cleared out all the books that were going into storage and they were about half way in cataloguing the collection of books. It was a slow process, but it had to be done. Once it was, it would be easy to add or remove one or two books at a time. Of course Dale did things the old fashioned way, so the books weren’t listed in a computer, but rather an old archiving furniture with a lot of drawers, to put the small filing cards in. Carol didn’t mind this way of doing this, there was something comforting and right about doing it this way. It fitted the image of the store much better than a computer would.

 

But the clear downside was that it took forever to log every book into it.  
Carol was filling out yet another filing-card, feeling like she was both getting blisters on her fingers and at the same time also like her hand was going to fall off. Both her and Dale were moving slower and slower, their conversation had run dry, not because of lack of things to talk about, but simply because they were too exhausted to want to talk.  
Carol was basically just waiting for Dale to say that they were calling it a day, he was the boss so of course he called the shots. But she couldn’t help but hope that he would call it a day soon.  

 

After filing that card away in one of the drawers, there was a quiet knock at the front door to the store.

 

“We’re closed!” Dale yelled, irritation and exhaustion clear in his voice.

 

Carol turned to look at the door and smiled tiredly when she saw who it was. When she went to open the door, Dale turned to look as well.

 

“We’re closed”

 

“It’s okay Dale” Carol unlocked the door and smiled at Daryl, standing outside the door. “What are you doing here?”

 

“Want me to leave?” He asked, looking like he thought she might actually tell him to leave.

 

“Of course not” Carol stepped aside and let him in, closing the door after he had entered.

 

Daryl managed a small smile as he entered the store, looking around at the place where Carol worked. “Beth made sandwiches for you. She worried you’d be starving” Daryl said, taking the bag off his back and pulled out a box with sandwiches and a couple of bottles of lemonade.

 

“You’re a lifesaver” Carol sighed with another one of her exhausted smiles as she walked up to him, at the table where he put down the things. There she put her arms around him in a hug that was more her, resting against him, that it was actually about holding him. She had her eyes closed and she knew that if she kept standing like that, she’d fall asleep.

 

His arms around her were light, as his hands just stroke slowly up and down her back. “It’s just sandwiches” He muttered.

 

Carol chuckled lightly, “It’s food. It’s energy and I think we both need that” She turned her head to look at Dale who nodded. Looking at Dale, she seemed to realize that they weren’t alone and leaned away a bit. “Dale, this is Daryl.. Daryl this is Dale” she said, gesturing between them.

 

Dale stepped forward and shook Daryl’s hand. “Good to meet you”

 

Daryl just nodded in reply.

 

Dale looked at Carol, managing a smile before he turned to dig into the sandwiches.

 

Daryl took one of the bottles and handed it to Carol. “You look exhausted”

 

“Yeah” She replied with a nod, before drinking a big part of the bottle. “But we’ve gotten through a lot today” Dale nodded in agreement.

 

“You should eat” Daryl muttered to Carol before starting walking around the store, looking at the books.

 

Carol grabbed a sandwich as she sat down, but her eyes followed Daryl around the store. Had he come all the way down here to bring her food? It felt a bit like he might be worrying about her, she had noticed it before during the week, when they had talked whatever little they had doing the week. It was in the way he looked at her, when she yawned and stretched her sore muscles. It was nice – Carol couldn’t remember the last time anyone had worried about her. Well, not counting Andrea and Dale of course. Andrea seemed to always worry, but this was different.

 

After eating Dale and Carol went back to work for a while longer, Daryl didn’t say anything, instead he just walked around the store looking at the books.  
“Right, I think that’s enough for tonight” Dale said, thankfully not too much later. “You two should take off, I’ll lock up here”

 

“Okay.. Thanks Dale”

 

Dale nodded his head, waving his hands at them, while Carol got her bag. “Thanks for the sandwiches Daryl, it was nice to meet you”

 

“You too” Daryl muttered, picking up the things Beth had packed for them, putting them back in the bag.  

 

Once they made it outside, Carol waited until they’d made it far enough down the street, before she partially collapsed against his shoulder, glad to find that he caught her. “I thought he’d never let me leave”

 

Daryl looked at her, totally ignoring the fact that they had already passed his bike. “You okay?”

 

Carol shook her head lightly “I’m exhausted, my feet are killing me, and I’m pretty sure I have blisters on my fingers” She turned her head to look at him, a small smile on her lips.

 

He chuckled and shook his head “Wasn’t right to keep you that long”

 

“He’s my boss and a crazy old man.. But I like him, he’s very nice.. reminds me of my dad”

 

Daryl huffed again, not moving the arm he had around her, not even when she stopped putting some of her weight on him. “Is that a good thing?”

 

She nodded, studying his face, wondering what to make of that question. “Yeah, it is”

 

Daryl looked to the ground as he nodded, making Carol sure that there was something more to that. For a moment she wondered if she should ask him about it, but decided that it would be better to talk about something else.

 

“Thank you for coming”

 

Daryl shrugged, “Hardly seen you all week”

 

“I miss you too” Carol replied quietly, feeling her cheeks turning pink as she looked at him.

 

His head shut up from looking at the ground, to looking at her.

 

“Too soon?”

 

“Nah just.. “ They stopped walking as he just looked at her.

 

Taking a step closer to her, he closed the space between them and placing a hand on her jaw, looking at her like she was the ocean and he was desperate to drown. It took her breath away and she couldn’t do anything but stare right back at him.

 

His thumb stroke over her cheekbone slowly, making her ready to fall over because her knees failed her.  And the fact that she was already exhausted didn’t help.

 

“I wanna take you somewhere” He said quietly after what seemed like ages but what might actually have just been a few moments.

 

“Like a date?”

 

“Mmm” He just said, nodding. If it hadn’t been dark, she could have sworn he blushed too.

 

“Where?”

 

“You’ll see.. if you want to come” He sounded terribly unsure of himself.

 

“Of course I want to come “

 

He lit up in one of the biggest smiles she had ever seen on his face. Carol smiled right back and leaned in to press her forehead against his.

 

“When?” She asked, suddenly feeling much more awake than she had all day.

 

“Saturday?” he asked, running his thumb across her cheek once more.

 

Carol was pretty sure he could have made her agree to launch a nuclear attack on Atlanta, looking at her like that. When she couldn’t make her tongue work the way she wanted it to, she just nodded.

 

“All day”

 

“All day?” She asked when she finally found the use of her tongue.

 

“Mmm” He nodded lightly, smirking at her. “You need a break”

 

“From my kids?”

 

“From the city” He corrected her softly.

 

\------

 

By Saturday morning, Carol had asked Dale if he would bring her kids to the fair he was going to, to look for books. To her surprise he had been very excited about the suggestion. They had only met a few times before, but they seemed to get along. Dale and his wife didn’t have any grandkids yet and their children were that age where they were too busy to spend much time with their parents. So he jumped at the chance to get to spoil her kids for a day.

 

When Daryl knocked at her door, making Carol jump, Dale and his wife had already picked up Sam and Sophia who had been very excited about the thought of going to a fair.  
Not knowing where they were going had made it very difficult to pick out an outfit. But since it was early in the day and the man she was going out with was Daryl, she decided against dresses or skirts. Not that she owned many dresses to start with. She had ended up with a pair of her nicer jeans and a nice top. Andrea hadn’t been any help when she called her. Instead, she had had a small fit of some kind, especially when Carol told her the circumstances of which he had asked her out. In the end Carol had hung up on her, when she wouldn’t stop giggling.

 

“Hi” Carol smiled at him, when she opened the door. Seeing him in his everyday clothes, made her more confident that she had chosen the right outfit.

 

“Hey.. get any sleep?”

 

“Plenty.. you gonna tell me where we’re going?”

 

“Nope” he replied with a grin. “But you should leave that and bring a coat” He pointed to her bag.

 

“Oh.. okay” She replied just a tad skeptical. But she did put her shoulder bag down and picked up a coat in stead.

 

“So you’re really not going to tell me where we’re going?” She asked as they headed down the hallway.

 

Daryl just glanced at her, still smirking.

 

“ballroom dancing?”

 

He huffed.

 

“Farmer’s market?”

 

“Give me a little credit”

 

She spent a few moments thinking before coming with her next suggestion. He had a backpack on, so it wasn’t a café or a restaurant, beside it was in the middle of the day. Not even noon yet and they couldn’t spend all day in a restaurant.

 

“Race track?”

 

“That your idea of romance?” He asked as they made their way across the parking lot.

 

“Well I wasn’t sure if you were a romantic or not”

 

“I’m not sure either” He shrugged.

 

When they got to his bike, he handed her a helmet and put one on himself. Then he handed her the backpack.

 

Climbing onto the bike, Carol wasn’t shy about wrapping her arms around him this time. But the helmet was in the way, so she couldn’t rest her head against his back or any of the things she could before.

 

They headed out of town. South, she would guess, but she wasn’t sure. As Daryl just kept driving, Carol found herself wondering just what he had in mind. It was a gorgeous day, so maybe something outdoors? She didn’t know if he was a guy who liked to spend time outdoors or not, but maybe she was about to find out.

 

They drove for about half an hour or so, until there was no more houses, and more and more trees. When they turned off the main road and onto one of gravel, Carol was at a complete loss as for what to expect. But it would definitely be something outdoors.

 

He headed down a hill into what turned out to be what looked like an old quarry, with a big lake at the bottom of it. The water was a breathtaking turquoise blue and down here there wasn’t one sound of the city that reach them or even the slightest wind moving.  
Daryl came to a stop at the end of the hill. When Carol removed her helmet, she took a moment to look around while Daryl took off his helmet too.

 

“Daryl it’s .. beautiful” She got off the bike, putting her helmet down, all the while unable to take her eyes off the lake. “Absolutely.. breathtaking “ She spoke slowly as she sauntered towards it.

 

He stepped up beside her, still smiling, Carol wondered if he had been smiling the whole way here. “Better than a race track?”

 

“You have no idea” she smiled, already feeling more relaxed than she had all week. “What do you have planned?”

 

“Nothing”

 

“Nothing?”

 

“Yeah – Doing nothing’s healthy”

 

“Really? Says who?”

 

“Me..” he muttered.

 

“Must be true then” Carol smiled, looking at him. She couldn’t remember the last time she had done nothing for an entire day. Wasn’t exactly a thing you could do with two kids.

 

Daryl smiled again and lead the way over to a spot that had a good view of the water, where he spread out a blanket he had pulled from the bag.

 

“You’re full of surprises” Carol smiled as she walked over to sit down next to him. When Daryl lay down, she did the same, looking up at the crystal blue sky.

 

They lay for a long while in silence, just looking at the sky. Carol could hear the wind, in the trees outside of the quarry, but not feel it.

 

“You know..” She started, making him turn his head to look at her. “I don’t really know anything about you” She turned her head to look at him.

 

He shrugged “Not much to know”

 

“I doubt that.. “

 

Daryl just looked back at her.

 

“Where did you grow up?”

 

“4 hours from here, shitty little town .. you?”

 

“About two hours from Atlanta, small town too”

 

“Any siblings?”

 

“A brother.. Merle”

 

“Where’s he?”

 

“.. Jail” He avoided her eyes for a bit, but when she didn’t speak up, he looked back at her.

 

“Is it serious?”

 

“Drugs.. selling them mostly”

 

“Oh.. When’s he getting out?”

 

“September 1st”

 

“That’s soon.. “

 

Daryl nodded, “He’s gonna stay with me, until he finds his own place”

 

“You think he’ll stop.. you know”

 

He shrugged again, but looked relieved that she hadn’t freaked out or something. “He’s a pigheaded idiot.. But I hope.. I don’t know”

 

Carol reached over and took his hand, intertwining their fingers. “He’s got a chance.. Whether or not he takes it, is up to him”

 

Daryl just looked at her for a while, then nodded once. “What about you?”

 

“No.. no siblings”

 

\-----

 

They spent a long time on the blanket, just lying around, talking about this and that. After having enjoyed the food Daryl had brought, they went for a walk, out of the quarry and into the forest that surrounded it. On the way they gathered some firewood, while Carol hoped that he had some other plan for food, before they went home, because if they were going to stay there until after it got dark, she would get very hungry before she got back home.

 

Daryl surprised her yet again when he pulled a collapsible fishing rod out of the backpack. Before long, he was standing knee deep in the turquois lake, fishing for their supper. Carol watched him from the lakeside for a while, making sure to snap a picture of him to send to Andrea as soon as she got home, or she would never forgive her.

 

When she had sat by the lakeside for long enough, Carol got up and folded up her jeans as far as she could, before she walked out so sneak up on Daryl from behind.

 

“You’ll scare away the fish”

 

“Oh sorry”

 

“Just.. stand still” he said quietly, when she came to stand behind him.

 

For a while they did, just feeling the weather and sneaking glances at each other. After a while Daryl handed her the rod, which she reluctantly accepted. Carol had never been fishing, so she had no idea how to. Moving slowly, Daryl placed himself behind her and guided her hands with his own, so she slowly pulled in the line, only to throw it back out again.

 

Carol found herself leaning more and more into his arms, the longer they stood there. It was hard not to, when his arms were wrapped so securely around her. At first it felt like he was holding his breath, not allowing himself to move any more than he had to. But after standing there for a while, the fish not biting, he too relaxed.

 

She could feel his nose slightly pressed into her hair, as they swayed slowly with the waves. It was almost like slow-dancing, but without the music. Carol couldn’t even say how much she enjoyed it. Not just this but the fact that it was only a first date and they had only known each other for 3 weeks now and they were so relaxed around each other. There was no need for awkward attempts to keep the conversations going. They were perfectly comfortable in the silence. That was rare, especially in a thing that was still so new.

 

It took them a long time before they got any bites, so long that even Daryl had started to doubt whether or not there was actually fish in that lake. But in the end they did catch one big fish.  
Thankfully Daryl was gallant enough to both gut the fish and build a fire for them.

 

Carol hadn’t realized what time it was, before the sun started setting, while the fish was cooking over the warm flames. “You’re really in your element out here” She commented, sitting on the blanket while Daryl was poking the fire, right next to it.

 

He shrugged, looking back at her for a moment. “Used to go hunting with Merle.. fishing too”

 

“When you were a kid?”

 

“Yeah”

 

Carol smile a bit, so at least he had some good memories of Merle, before he got into the whole drug thing.

 

When the fish was eaten, which had turned out rather well, Daryl pulled out a bag of marshmallows for dessert.

 

“So that’s what the sticks are for” Carol smiled as Daryl nodded. At the time she hadn’t understood what he would want with those sticks, when they had been gathering more wholesome firewood pieces. Guess he was a still a kid in some ways too. But who didn’t love melted marshmallows?

 

“I really did need this” Carol said, when she had had her fifth marshmallow and was absolutely stuffed. “How can you know me so well already?”

 

Daryl shrugged “Some people you just know.. I guess”

 

Carol smiled, glad that he somehow seemed to just know her. She leaned in and kissed his cheek.

 

He chuckled and wiped his cheek as she leaned away. “You’re all sticky”

 

Without even thinking about it she reached up an poked his lips, lightly, with her finger. “So are you”

 

“Must be the marshmallows,” He murmured, not taking his eyes off her.

 

Carol giggled a bit, until they both fell quiet again.

 

As the night got colder and the flames of the fire got smaller, Daryl and Carol moved closer together, until they were sitting right up against each other and had wrapped the blanket around them as well.

 

They watched the embers in the most comfortable silence, while she rested her head on his shoulder and Daryl had his hand at her side, stroking up and down in what seemed like an absentminded movement. From time to time Carol looked at the stars, admiring how many more stars she could see out here, compared to how many she could see from inside the city.

 

Turning her head, Carol kissed his cheek again. “Still sticky?”

 

“A bit” he had that smile in the corner in his mouth. But turned his head to look at her. He looked incredibly handsome in this low lights from the embers.

 

“Thanks for this” she whispered

 

“Any time.. “ He replied before he leaned in the few inches that were still between them, and kissed her lips softly.

 

“Still sticky?” He asked back, smirking.

 

“Mmm very” She smiled before she leaned towards him and connected their lips again.

 

Daryl chuckled as he kissed her back, making Carol sigh as he placed his hand at her chin again.

 

Placing a hand on his arm, Carol opened up to him and let her tongue slide into his mouth. She heard him groan as his hands tightened around her.  
Before long, he lay her down on the ground. It wasn’t just his hands that started to wander then, Carol’s wandered too, into his hair and down his back. While his free hand wandered down her side and up her leg.

 

Carol felt her heart beating like it was going to burst from her chest, as she felt heat pool between her legs. A sensation she had felt nothing like in many years. In a way it scared her, to feel this way. The last time she had had sex had not been something she had enjoyed. Not that she was planning to sleep with Daryl, not tonight anyway. She wasn’t anywhere near ready for that.

 

For a while she feared that Daryl would want to take this all the way. But thankfully he didn’t, his hands didn’t cross any lines, as they just stayed on her leg, gripping her thigh. Like he wanted to take things slow too, something she had never expected of him.

 

Once they were both out of breath, they spent more time, just looking at each other, something they both seemed to like to do. “We should get back.. I don’t know how long Dale and his wife can survive Sam and Sophia, on a sugar high”

 

Daryl nodded slowly, pecking her lips once more, before he leaned back and started putting out the fire. Part of her almost wished that she didn’t have to get back, so that she could just stay here and maybe even sleep in his arms. That seemed like the best way of sleeping she could think off. But for now she still had responsibilities and she couldn’t just leave her kids with Dale, however much she might want to at the moment.

 

The drive back was cold. Not freezing, but cold enough to make Carol shiver as they made their way back inside.

 

“I had a great time” She said as they stood at her door.

 

“Good” Daryl just said, kissed her again and then waited for her to go inside, before he headed back to his own place.


	10. The fist that hits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As always, Mondays were slow. It wasn’t until the afternoon that they got any costumers. Around 2 o’clock a couple of people came in and left again, not buying anything. After that a man came in, Carol wouldn’t normally notice, but this man had an eyepatch. Not a thing you saw often in Atlanta, or anywhere else for that matter. But it wasn’t just how he looked, it was where he looked – at her. It was an uncomfortable flashback to when she was still with Ed. Reminding her of how he would watch her, all the time. At home or in public, it didn’t matter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank so much to Mel for all the brainstorming - You're the best! 
> 
> Everybody give it up for Mel!! :) 
> 
> \-----
> 
> //Warning for slight violence and violent memories //

 

Sunday was a lazy day. Sam and Sophia had gotten in late and gone to bed even later, as they still had to run off all the sugar before they could go to sleep. So both of them slept in as well as Carol. They had a late brunch, Sunday, and just lay around watching movies all day. It was lazy and slow, how every Sunday should be.   
Carol made a pot roast, leaving it to simmer for hours, making the whole apartment smell like autumn even though it was still very much summer. She tried to teach Sophia how to sew, but she didn’t seem very interested, so Carol ended up doing all the sewing herself.

 

The kids spent most of the day, telling Carol about what they had been doing the day before. How Dale and Charlotte, his wife, had firstly dragged them around to all the stalls at the flea market. Surprisingly they hadn’t found that boring. Instead they had, apparently, looked at everything, talked, and asked questions to Dale and Charlotte.  
Not having any grandparents, Carol was glad to hear that both her kids were so fond of Dale and Charlotte. The feeling seemed to be mutual, that was at least the feeling she had gotten from Dale and Charlotte when they had dropped the kids off last night.

 

“So what did you do yesterday?” Sophia asked after supper, when Transformers was on TV and Carol was trying out a new kind of braid in Sophia’s hair.

 

Carol smiled for a moment, thinking back on that one whole day that she had spent in just his company. “Daryl took me on a picnic, outside of town in an old quarry” Despite Carol’s ‘floating on a pink cloud’ tone, Sophia crinkled her nose at it.

 

“Sounds boring”

 

“No.. it wasn’t! It was so.. beautiful and quiet. He caught a fish and we made a fire, had marshmallows for dessert.. Stargazing” God, she could even hear it herself, how far gone she was.

 

“You really like him” Sophia turned to look at her.

 

Carol shrugged, feeling her cheeks heat up as she bit her lip, looking back at her daughter.

 

“Is he your boyfriend?” Sam asked, from the other end of the couch.

 

Carol looked over at him, feeling both of her kids’ eyes on her. “I … No .. I don’t know.. Not yet” She sighed scratching her neck. “I like him but.. I don’t know” Both kids looked rather confused.   
“It’s complicated.. I know”

 

“I think he likes you” Sophia smiled, leaning back against her

 

“Yeah?”

 

“He brought you marshmallows” Sophia tilted her head back to look up at her, with a smile on her face.

 

“If only things were that simple” She smiled back, chuckling a bit, wishing that they would never get any older than they were now.

 

 

~*~*~*~

 

 

Dale wouldn’t stop talking about her kids, the next day.

 

“It was a great day, I’m telling you Carol, your kids are really smart. They were so interested in all the little gadgets and things that aren’t in a standard home nowadays. My kids never wanted to know all that – They thought it was boring” Dale explained excitedly, as Carol was looking through the filing system they had spent so much time making in the previous week.

 

“I’m glad you had a good time. They did too, it was all we talked about yesterday” Well nearly all. Dale looked so happy and she didn’t want to add Daryl to the mix of this conversation. “If you ever want to babysit again, let me know”

 

Dale nodded, smiling widely. “I will”

 

Dale and Charlotte were such nice people. Even if she hadn’t known Dale, she would have trusted him immediately, after seeing him with his wife. The way he looked at her was everything. It was so obvious that he adored her. If a couple were like that around each other, after what she guessed was near to 50 years of marriage, they were both very good people. Sam even seemed to bond with the both of them, so that spoke volumes.

 

 

As always, Mondays were slow. It wasn’t until the afternoon that they got any costumers. Around 2 o’clock a couple of people came in and left again, not buying anything. After that a man came in, Carol wouldn’t normally notice, but this man had an eyepatch. Not a thing you saw often in Atlanta, or anywhere else for that matter. But it wasn’t just how he looked, it was where he looked – at her. It was an uncomfortable flashback to when she was still with Ed. Reminding her of how he would watch her, all the time. At home or in public, it didn’t matter.

 

“You looking for anything in particular?” Carol asked forcing a smile, when he stepped up to the counter.

 

“Nah.. thought I’d just come say hello – I’m Phillip” He said, reaching out with his hand.

 

The way his eye looked her up and down, gave her the creeps. But she forced another smile and shook his hand. “Carol” She glanced around the shop, hoping to see Dale, but he had stepped out back.

 

“Pleasure” He smiled, but it just wasn’t right. There was something very off about him. But she couldn’t put her finger on it.

 

“You sure I can’t help you with something?” Carol tried to control the way her voice trembled.

 

_*Stop it! You’re not that woman anymore, you moved on. You’re not a victim, just push him off*_

 

“I’m just looking” He answered and went back to the bookcases, but she could still feel his eye sticking to her. So she went out back, until she heard him leave. Only then did she feel like she could breathe again. Hopefully that man would never ever come into the shop again. Not because of how he looked at her, but because of how it made her feel, like she was suddenly set back 5 years.

 

 

~*~*~*~

 

 

But he did come back. Three days in a row, he came in at half past 2, like clockwork. Watched her, he even asked her out at least once a day, which she politely brushed off, saying that she was busy.

 

He’d brag about his sports car, give her compliments that were more creepy than polite. Although had they come from Daryl and not him, they would have been romantic as hell. Calling her a ‘blue-eyed beauty’, she shivered now, just thinking about it. He’d even gone as far as bringing her a single flower, thinking it was romantic, but it was a lily and one of the expensive kind, she had checked.

 

Thankfully, she didn’t mention that she would need to get home to her kids, when she got off, neither did she mention Daryl. She didn’t want to involve them in whatever it was he thought, he was doing. But he did make her want to bring a gun or a peberspray to work. For the simple reason, that she didn’t know what he might do. Could he try and attack her when she was going home? Would he follow her? Stalk her? Could he hurt her kids, if she outright turned him down the next time he asked her out for a cup of coffee?

 

She knew Andrea was great at giving advice about this sort of thing, but he hadn’t actually done anything. Maybe it was just all in her head. Dale hadn’t said anything, so maybe it was just something she made up. But she couldn’t help the feeling that he was bad news.

 

Carol hated that he scared her so much, she should be stronger, she should be able to handle this. But instead she felt weak, just like she had back when she was still married to Ed. Like she had no power what so ever. If he did attack her, would she even be able to fight back? She never had with Ed and it wasn’t like she had gotten any stronger physically, since then.

 

Pacing the rooftop garden, Carol tried to calm her mind. To come up with some sort of plan that could help her deal with this, some way to push him away that wouldn’t make him freak out on her. Flashbacks of Ed Grabbing her and punching her in the face, kicking her in the gut, came to mind and made her hands shake as she covered her mouth and forced back a sob. She couldn’t do that again, but she didn’t want to go to work armed either. What was she supposed to do?

 

“Carol?”

 

She turned quickly, unaware of her watery eyes and pale face, as she came face to face with the person she wanted to see the most.   
As soon as she lay eyes on him, she walked towards him, wrapping her arms around him as soon as she could reach, and hid her face away at his shoulder.

 

“Hey what’s-“

 

Carol tightened her arms around him, as her chest shook and she started to cry.

 

He froze for a moment, until he slowly wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight against him. Just what she needed. Burying herself in his embrace made her feel safe, like no matter what, that creep Phillip couldn’t reach her here. Right here, she was safe and she’d always be.

 

Once she got her breathing under control, Daryl slowed his hand’s soothing movement up and down her back. “Talk to me.. What’s wrong?” He whispered softly, obviously worried, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

 

For a long moment, Carol was quiet. Daryl didn’t push her, by asking again, but just stood there, holding her, waiting. “There’s this.. Costumer at work.” She held on tight to him, trying to anchor that safety, so the thought of Phillip wouldn’t be so frightening. “I feel like he’s .. stalking me”

 

“Did he… touch you?” She felt his arms tighten around her.

 

“No.. He’s just asking me out, flirting… watching me” Her voice trembled again. “He scares me” Telling him all these things probably made her seem weak, at least it did to herself. But she felt safe here, like she could tell him anything and he wouldn’t think less of her. Especially about a thing like this. They were so far from being anything steady and yet he was the one person she felt like she had to tell. The one person who could comfort her and make her feel better.

 

He sighed, leaning his head against the top of hers.

 

“I’m sorry.. I shouldn’t put this on you”

 

“No.. you should” He placed a couple of fingers under her chin, making her look up at him. “Want me to kick his ass?”

 

Daryl almost managed to make her smile. “No..”

 

He smirked, leaning his forehead against hers. “Well, you can threaten him with it then.. Tell him your big strong boyfriend will kick his teeth in, if he doesn’t back off”

 

“Boyfriend?” Carol leaned away, just enough to look at him.

 

A slight blush of pink crept onto his cheeks, as he looked at her. “Yeah .. that’s.. aren’t I?”

 

“Sam asked me the same thing”

 

“What did you say?”

 

“That I didn’t know.. I.. This is moving so quickly and I’m.. I’m not sure what’s right to do. I don’t remember.. “

 

“You just do what feels right.. and this – “

 

“Feels right” She finished his sentence, he nodded once with a smile at the corner of his mouth.

 

Daryl kissed her forehead again, holding her tight. “If you need me -  Call me, alright?”

 

Carol nodded lightly. “Promise”

 

 

~*~*~*~

 

  
The talk with Daryl meant that she could go to work the next day with much more confidence than she had the previous days. Carol was very much aware of where her phone was, every single second of the day, just in case she needed him. But as the clock approached half past 2, she felt herself getting more and more sweaty palms, even more so because Dale wasn’t in today. It was just her, which was mainly what had caused her breakdown the day before. Knowing that he would have the opportunity to do something, if he wanted to.

 

She’d left some books for her to sort out, for when he came in, so she had a good reason not to look at him. Carol had just finished filling out the cards for the filing system, when he walked in the door. She didn’t even have to look up at him to know, instead she looked at her clock. 2:30 sharp.

 

“Carol!” He greeted her, stepping in with wide confident steps.

 

“Phillip” She murmured back, picking up the books from the counter and headed in between the maze of bookcases.

 

“So.. you’re off in the weekend right?” He followed her in between the bookcases. When she didn’t reply he just kept talking.

 

“We could take my sports car out down to my lake house – Stay there for the weekend, get to know each other” He empathized the words ‘sports car’ and ‘lake house’, making Carol roll her eyes. If he hadn’t been standing so close and been so persistent, it would almost have been funny.

 

“No” she said lowly, putting one book on its shelf and went on to place the next. Carol knew she had to grab the bull by the horns and just make him understand that no meant no. But the thing was, the last man she had told no, had beat her to a pulp for it. So she had stopped doing that. It was a thing that might as well have been tattooed onto her spine, you just had to keep your head down, humor him and everything would be alright. Going against all that was terrifying, she knew the consequences, she’d felt them over and over. It wasn’t really anything she’d ever want to try again.

 

“Come on.. Champagne, fireplace..”

 

“Tiger skin, caviar ..” She continued for him, this time she actually did roll her eyes, still with her back to him. Placing the last book, she went out into the shop again.

 

“Now you’re getting it” Carol turned to face him, the thought of Daryl kicking his teeth in, cheering her on.

 

“No. I can’t” She made sure to make eye contact, so that he might understand that she was serious. He looked disappointed and she almost felt bad. Almost. But then she turned to walk away and Phillip grabbed her arm, pulling her against him. Not in a violent way, but he pressed himself against her in a way that was too much like something she had experienced before. “Come on.. you know you want to”

 

The thought of what might follow this awkward pose, made her snap out of her insecurities. Carol turned around and broke away from him with a yank of her arm. Turning to look at him, she had a look of determination on her face. “No! I don’t. I really really don’t!”

 

He looked at her with clear disbelief and still kept the smirk on his face, which she had grown to hate a lot in the past days. “I get it” He nodded confidently. “You’re playing hard to get”

 

“No! I’m not. I don’t want to get coffee with you, I don’t want to go for a ride in your fancy car, I don’t want you to buy me things, I want you to stay the hell away from me!”

 

Finally he seemed to lose a bit of the confidence, as his smile faded away. That should have made her happy, but when it turned into a frown instead, it just scared her. Because she knew the difference between a sad and an angry frown and that was not a sad frown. “You’re turning me down?” He shook his head. “You’re lucky that I like you.. You could never get a man like me”

 

“You’re right.. But I don’t want a man like you. I’ve had a man like you and believe me that wasn’t a thing I’d ever want to repeat.”

 

She could tell from the look on his face, that there was anger building inside of him. When he lifted his hand, in a pose she knew all too well, Carol acted out of instinct. But not the instinct that she had gotten used to – ducking, but rather the instinct she didn’t knew she even had – to strike first. Her closed fist hit against his nose, before she even had a chance to think.

 

Phillip whimpered, staggering backwards, both his hands flying up to cover his nose.

 

“You’re a petty little man – hitting a woman” Carol growled, stepping closer to him, making him take another step back.

 

“I hope I make myself clear – Leave me the hell alone or I’ll do more than punch you in the face” She kept her eyes on him as he nodded, without a word and backed right out of the shop.   
It wasn’t until the door closed behind him, that she let herself feel the pain in her hand. But along with that, came the pride of knowing what she had just done. She had just stood up for herself, done what she had never managed to do with Ed. Back then she just ran and relied on others to defend her. But now.. She was standing on her own two feet and it took more than a man like Phillip to knock her down.   
It made her smile, laughing even, before she quickly decided to lock up the shop and go home. She needed to see her kids.

 

Within minutes, the shop was locked up and Carol stepped out the front, locking the door. When she turned, she saw that Daryl was standing just beside the shop window.

 

“Daryl” He looked up at her, grinning.

 

“What are you doing here?” She asked, stepping closer to him.

 

“Making sure you don’t need me” He said simply, pushing himself away from the wall, meeting her half way. “Nearly ran in when he grabbed you. Would have beat him up”

 

Carol smiled, feeling her heart swell at his words. He was being protective, she couldn’t remember having anyone done that for her before. Andrea would, but that was different.

 

“But then you did.” Daryl grinned.

 

Carol covered her face with her hands “Oh god I did.. “ She laughed quietly, before she managed to look at Daryl again, “I punched him in the face” she sounded surprised over what she had done, and she was, she was shocked.

 

Daryl laughed at her. “It was kinda hot”

 

“Was not” Carol felt herself turning bright red.

 

Daryl stepped forward and folded his arms around her waist. “It was.. You stood up for yourself” He tried to catch her eyes, keeping quiet until he did. “I’m proud of you” He added quietly, with a smile.

 

Carol shook her head at herself, still having a hard time believing what she had just done. “I’m proud of me too”

 

“Good” Daryl kissed her cheek, whatever pride it was he felt, was shining right out of those deep blue eyes of his.

 

Carol leaned in to kiss him, lingering there for a moment when he pulled her closer. “Thank you” she murmured against his lips.

 

“For what?” Daryl asked, eyes closed, forehead resting against hers.

 

“For you.. For keeping an eye on me and being here when I need you”

 

He smiled a bit, lifting a hand to cup her face. “I would have run in there, if .. If you needed it.. But you didn’t”

 

“Still can’t believe I punched him” Carol smiled, looking at him.

 

Daryl chuckled. “Remind me not to cross you”

 

“I was hoping that would come natural” She grinned back at him, as he leaned down to kiss her again. Once again making her feel safe, but it wasn’t just when she was in his arms, that he made her feel safe. It was all the time, knowing that he was there when she needed him, made her feel confident and so safe.

 

 

~*~*~*~

 

 

“Do you remember what you asked me last Sunday?” Carol asked Sam, when they were sitting in the couch, waiting for dinner to finish cooking. Daryl was coming over, but for now he was in his own apartment, taking a shower.

 

Sam looked up from his comic book, shaking his head.

 

“About Daryl” She helped, still nothing.

 

“If he was your boyfriend?” Sophia chipped in, as she came into the living room.

 

“Yeah” Carol said as Sam sat up.

 

He just looked at her, waiting for her to talk more.

 

“What is it, mom?” Sophia asked as she sat down on the couch.

 

“Well… he is” She looked back and forth between Sophia and Sam.

 

“He is?” They asked simultaneously, making Carol smile, shaking her head.

 

“He is.. “

 

Sophia smiled and moved over to hug Carol. Sam smiled too, “Do we still have to call him Mr Dixon?”

 

Carol kept her arms around Sophia as she looked at Sam. “Well.. you’ll have to ask him about that”

 

“Okay” Sam said, going back to his comic book.

 

Carol wasn’t quite sure what to make of that. Of course he hadn’t lived with them for that long, but she had hoped to get more of a reaction out of him.

 

 

When there was a knock at the door, Sophia was the one to get up and answer the door. “Can we call you Daryl, Mr Dixon?” She asked, before she had even let him inside.

 

“.. Sure” Daryl said clearly hesitating.

 

Sophia grinned and ran back into the apartment.

 

Carol got up to go to the door, facing a confused Daryl. “I told them about us” she explained softly.

 

“Oh.. How did they..?”

 

“They’re happy.. Sophia is.. Sam is .. I don’t know” Carol shrugged, looking concerned.

 

“It’s okay.. “ He assured her, giving her a brief hug, before he handed her the bottle of wine he had brought.

 

“You trying to get me dunk?” She asked, a small smile on her face.

 

“Maybe” He murmured and placed a kiss to her temple, before entering the apartment.

 

Carol closed the door and watched as Daryl went over to sit with her kids, asking Sam about his comic book, making Carol’s heart melt. Nobody could come between them now, he was hers and she was his. That was all she needed to know, that was enough.  


	11. Not just a bump in the road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I think you caught the last fish in this lake, the last time we were here” Carol said as Daryl walked up behind her.
> 
> Daryl chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her, from behind. “There’s plenty of fish… Be patient”
> 
> Carol leaned back her head, to rest against Daryl’s shoulder, with a mocked frustrated sigh. “I don’t think I like fishing” She said, with only a hint of a smile, as Daryl’s arms tightened around her, allowing her to relax against him. Carol actually didn’t mind it that much, it was nice and quiet here. But standing around in the water, alone wasn’t as much fun, as it was when Daryl stood behind her, like he did now.
> 
> “You always this grumpy when you’re hungry?”
> 
> “No” Carol replied with a bit of a pout, before she looked at Daryl. “Maybe” A smile slowly grew on her lips.
> 
> “You bored?”
> 
> “Like you wouldn’t believe”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it's been so long!! (3 months to the date!) Summer's taken my muse and kept me busy. But I finally managed to get a chapter up, hope it's making it worth the wait! 
> 
> Thanks to Hanna for proofreading for me, since Mel was without internet :P

 

With how much her kids loved the park, Carol should have known that they would be over the moon, when Daryl took all three of them to the quarry. They had left early in the morning on the last weekend before Sophia and Sam went back to school. Carol couldn’t wait to go back into their normal routine with school, babysitting and homework. She felt almost guilty that they were left at home in that hot apartment, while she went to work. Sure they went out with Tara or Beth, sometimes, but they hadn’t really done anything in their holiday. Except for moving of course, but that couldn’t really be called a holiday, more the exact opposite. And they still needed to give most of the rooms a fresh coat of paint, so you couldn’t even say that they were totally settled in yet. But Carol had decided that would and could wait until the months got colder and rainier. Since it would be an indoor activity that could keep the kids entertained over a weekend. Plus it gave her the chance to save up a bit of money so she could buy all the paint at once. It was a good way of doing it.

 

In a last attempt to give the kids something to remember the summer by, that wasn’t hauling boxes from a truck, Daryl had suggested that they took the kids to the quarry. He guaranteed that they would have fun there, although he really didn’t have to say much to convince her, or the kids. Anything that involved going away and having fun, they were up to.

 

The kids trailed around after Daryl most of the morning, as he showed them this and that around the quarry. Like the trace of a deer or the nest of a bird. Carol trailed after them, mostly watching Daryl as he interacted with her kids. Not that she didn’t found what he was telling them, interesting, because she did. But it was just far more interesting, observing the way he talked to them and taught them the things he knew about nature. She had never seen Sam talk that much, asking Daryl all sort of questions, like how he knew that nest was made from that kind of bird and how he knew what a deer’s feet looked like. It was a pure joy to watch and Carol could not stop smiling. A thing she was sure that Daryl saw, when he glanced up at her from time to time.

 

About an hour before noon, Daryl got out his fishing rod, handing it to Carol saying it was her time to do some work. Being at a bit of a loss as to how to bait the hook, Daryl helped her with that, before he went into the woods with Sam and Sophia to gather firewood.

 

So Carol stood in the lake, water up to her knees, almost freaking out with the thought of what she would do if she actually caught something. She didn’t have a knife, so what did she do? Bash it against a rock? That seemed a bit... cave-man like.   
Lucky for her, she never did have to find out what she would have to do, if she caught something. Because even though Daryl and the kids were gone for about half an hour, they still made it back before she caught anything.

 

“I think you caught the last fish in this lake, the last time we were here” Carol said as Daryl walked up behind her.

 

Daryl chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her, from behind. “There’s plenty of fish… Be patient”

 

Carol leaned back her head, to rest against Daryl’s shoulder, with a mocked frustrated sigh. “I don’t think I like fishing” She said, with only a hint of a smile, as Daryl’s arms tightened around her, allowing her to relax against him. Carol actually didn’t mind it that much, it was nice and quiet here. But standing around in the water, alone wasn’t as much fun, as it was when Daryl stood behind her, like he did now.

 

“You always this grumpy when you’re hungry?”

 

“No” Carol replied with a bit of a pout, before she looked at Daryl. “Maybe” A smile slowly grew on her lips.

 

“You bored?”

 

“Like you wouldn’t believe”

 

Daryl chuckled again, placing a kiss on her neck. “Maybe I can fix that” He smirked, before kissing her neck again, but this time a more lingering kiss. While his fingers traced lightly along the hem of her top, only just touching her skin, teasing her.

 

Carol squirmed a bit under his touch. “Where are the kids?” She asked, laughing.

 

“Making a fire” Daryl said in between kisses, sneaking his hand up under her shirt.

 

“A fire?!”

 

“Don’t worry, I have the matches”

 

Carol relaxed a bit in his arms, but still squirmed under his hands, he was tickling her. “You’ll scare away the fish” She giggled, trying not to move her legs, to not scare the fish.

 

Daryl chuckled again, but slowed his hands to a stop. Just letting them rest with the flat of his palm against her skin, as he pecked little kisses against her neck. “Still bored?”

 

Carol could feel him grin against her neck. “No… “ She smiled, balancing the rod against her thigh so she could place one of her hands on top of his. Turning her head to face him, she kissed him softly.

 

Daryl hummed softly, kissing her for a long moment. Until he suddenly broke away, looking down at her, smirk growing on his face. “You’ve got a bite.”

 

 

\--------

 

 

They spent the rest of the day, grilling and eating the fish, having a bit of a nap, and then a swim before they went home. Both Sam and Sophia were still high on energy, when they made it back to the apartment building. It probably didn’t help that they had stopped for ice cream on the way home, since it was the last day of summer, which they were all still eating, when they walked around to the front door.

 

Daryl stopped right before the stairs, looking up at the man sitting in front of the main entrance to the building, a single duffel bag next to him.

 

“Well hello little brother” The man grinned, getting up from his seat.

 

Carol stopped next to Daryl, instinctively making sure that her kids were behind her.

 

“Got yourself a nice piece of tail, huh?” He stepped towards them. “Instant family.” She could feel his eyes on her, giving her a good look up and town. The look in his eyes was one that she knew all too well. It gave her the creeps, because she knew what it meant and what it could lead to. The fact that he was Daryl’s brother was unfortunate, but it didn’t affect her opinion of him, either good or bad. 

 

Carol could feel Daryl getting more and more tense next to her, as the man, who she assumed to be Merle, spoke. She did the same, because the more he opened his mouth, the less she liked him. What he said sounded too much like something Ed could have said.

 

“You’re early” Was all Daryl said.

 

“Well they let me out of prison a day early, so they could have a nice long weekend” He grinned, never really seemed to stop grinning. Carol suspected that newly won freedom would do that to a man.

 

“I thought I’d have to pick you up from a bar floor, piss drunk”

 

“There’s always the Katana”

 

Daryl rolled his eyes and huffed quietly.

 

“Aren’t you gonna introduce me?”

 

Reluctantly, Daryl sighed “This is Carol, Sam, and Sophia, your new neighbors” he moved back and waved the kids forward, as he introduced them. “This is Merle, my older brother” Carol noted that he did not sound happy at all and the kids had to have picked up on that as well, because they said nothing.

 

“Let’s go inside” Carol said, ushering them in front of her. But as they passed Merle, she didn’t miss the look he gave Sophia. The same slow look, up and down, that he had given her. The same kind of look Ed had started to give her, before Carol left him. It made her stomach flip in a very unpleasant way, as she walked passed the taller man.

 

Daryl walked between Carol and Merle on their way inside, and unlocked the door for Merle, before he followed him inside, looking back at Carol one last time before he did. She tried to force a smile, but was very aware of how she didn’t quite manage to make it look sincere, like she wanted it to.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

For a while Daryl was quiet, just glaring at Merle from time to time as he unpacked his back and cleaned his knife. Merle dropped his bag by the door and headed right for the couch, dropping down on it, turning on the TV.

 

“You mad at me or something, brother?”

 

“Stay away from Carol ... and the kids”

 

“What? You don’t wanna share?”

 

Daryl just glared at him. Why did he have to stay with him? Why did he have to have such a loser for a brother, and why now? Things were going so well with Carol and the kids and now… He didn’t know if she might dump him, when she learned just how much of a loser Merle was, but him showing up could not be a good thing. It was definitely a motivation to get Merle out of his apartment as quick as he possibly could.

 

“Aww, you’re sweet on her”

 

“Shut up”

 

“Alright alright, you wanna be the only one tapping that.. Fine, I’ll find my own piece of tail”

 

“Find yourself a job while you’re at it” Daryl growled, stepping over to sit on the arm of the couch.

 

“Give me a break, brother”

 

“No. You’re not staying here and going back to your old habits, that ain’t happening here.”

 

“Daryl I wasn’t gonna..” Merle insisted not quite as cocky.

 

“I don’t care what you say – Prove it! Prove I didn’t make a mistake letting you come here, prove that you’ve changed.”

 

Merle looked at him with a look of repentance on his face. One that Daryl couldn’t say that he had seen before. But it had been years since he had last seen Merle. The last time he did, Merle was so high on drugs, Daryl didn’t even know if he remembered it. He’d never been sorry about anything, he never thought that he’d get caught for dealing drugs. By the time he was caught, Daryl hadn’t talked to him for a year. So there had been plenty of time for him to change, but Daryl hadn’t even seen Merle change. He’d always been the same stubborn ass, stupid Merle, who didn’t listen to anyone. In fact, Daryl doubted that he would ever change. He looked clean now, but it was only a matter of time, before he fell back into that hole.

 

Daryl didn’t stay to let him defend himself, or explain himself, instead he headed right for the door, slamming it behind him.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Well that was certainly not how she had planned the day would go. Carol sagged a bit against the kitchen counter, when she had put down the basket they had brought to the quarry. Taking a deep breath, Carol turned around to see both Sophia and Sam stand in the doorway to the kitchen, looking at her.

 

“Go wash up, I’ll get started on dinner... Please?” She added, when they didn’t move. They exchanged a look, thinking god knows what, before they turned and headed for the bathroom.

 

What had she expected? That she never meet men like Ed again? That she’d somehow be spared for ever feeling like that again? Weak and unable to protect herself and her kids. She hated it, it made her feel like she was suffocating, like there was absolutely nothing she could do, that things were bound to go the way she feared.   
What she really felt like doing, was pack her kids up, get them to the car and just run. Run as far away as she could, as fast as she could. But she knew that would be wrong. Not only would it set a bad example to Sophia and Sam, but it would be the weak thing to do. You weren’t supposed to run from people who made you feel uncomfortable, you were just supposed to avoid them.  Furthermore there were things here she couldn’t leave. Daryl, Andrea, Dale. They had a life here, all three of them. Sophia had her soccer team and her friends, Sam had some friends too. And she, well .. Daryl, most of all. Andrea too of course, but she was sure that they’d stay in touch, no matter where she went.

 

She hadn’t moved an inch, when there was a soft knock at the door. Carol knew who it was before she opened the door.

 

“Hi” Carol said after just looking at him for more than a moment.

 

He took a deep breath, she wasn’t sure if it was dread or relief she heard in him. “Hi”

 

Carol stood back and let him in, noticing that Sam and Sophia had gone to Sophia’s room. So she led Daryl into the living room. She wanted to just crawl into his arms and just try and forget that he even had a brother. But instead she stood with her arms crossed over her chest, looking at him, looking like a puppy that had just been kicked.

 

“I can’t.. I can’t do this” And now he looked even more like a kicked puppy. “No, not you” She closed the space between them. “Not this”

 

Daryl sighed again “Merle”

 

Carol nodded slowly. “He looked at Sophia”

 

“Carol..”

 

“No, he _looked_ at her.. Her father did the same and that was what made me leave him, I can’t do it. I can’t have her around another man like that, and I can’t have Sam around another man who will destroy the faith that you’ve helped him build. I can’t do it, I just can’t!” Carol argued in hushed tones, so they wouldn’t be heard, while she gestured with her hands.

 

Daryl approached her slowly, “Hey, hey, breathe” He whispered as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her against him, until she started to relax in his arms.

 

“I don’t trust him, Daryl” She murmured against his neck, surprised that his presence was enough to instantly calm her down. It wasn’t the first time that he had done that. But it seemed to work like a charm each time, thank god. Carol hadn’t noticed how much she just needed someone to listen and to hold her, when she needed it, until now.

 

“I know.. I’m not sure I do either”

 

“How long has it been since you last saw him?”

 

“Years.. last time I saw him, he was 5 minutes from either having an overdose or getting caught by the cops.. The cops got to him first”

 

“You didn’t go to the trial?”

 

“No.. “

 

Carol leaned back a bit, just enough to look at him. “Are you okay?”

 

He shook his head, looking at her with a pained expression. “He’s all the family I’ve got, but .. “ Daryl sighed and bowed his head to rest his forehead against her shoulder. “What am I supposed to do?”

 

Carol leaned her head against his, burying her hand in his hair, holding him there for a while. “I don’t know.. Give him the benefit of the doubt, I suppose.. So should I” She sighed, suddenly regretting having freaked out at all. Being selfish and not thinking about how Daryl was handling all this.   
“It’s gonna be okay, Daryl” She kissed the side of his head, which made him look up at her again. “You’re always welcome here, if he gets to be too much”

 

“What and bunk up with Sam?” The small smile in the corner of Daryl’s mouth was a relief to see. It wasn’t until she saw it, that Carol really believed what she had just said, they would be okay.

 

“Well there’s always the couch” She smiled back, crookedly.

 

“That’s the best you can do?”

 

“Have you seen my bed? “

 

Daryl chuckled, “I have.. It’s still an upgrade from the couch”

 

“Well if you insist” Carol leaned in and kissed him, still smiling.

 

“We’ll be okay?” Daryl asked, after they had stood, resting their foreheads against each other, for a while.

 

“We’ll be okay” She assured him, with a small smile. “Just.. don’t leave him alone with my kids.. if they come over, just.. be there.”

 

Daryl nodded. Which was really all that she needed. She trusted him, with Sam and Sophia and everything else. If he said he’d be there, he’d be there. And she knew no one would hurt her kids as long as he was around.

 


End file.
